The House of the West: Gold and Rubies
by FantasyEmpress
Summary: -"The wind picked up and whipped lightly at his hair. He gritted his teeth against the rush of emotion. Why must she haunt him so?" What if Sesshoumaru and Kagura were given another chance? Fairly canon post-manga story. Probably OOC. Sry.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I've been wanting to do a Sesshoumaru/Kagura story for a long time; they are, after all, my favorite InuYasha couple. But because of that, I've hesitated to write a story about them, because I want to do them justice but ain't sure I can. I find it really hard to keep Sesshy-sama in character, and I've never even TRIED writing Kagura, so I have my doubts about my ability to keep her in character as well…but, oh well, I finally decided to try.**

**I finished the manga, so everything should be canon or almost so, except that I changed the Wish Kagome made…**

**Disclaimer: I'm not trying to break any copyrights and I'm not earning any money…this is just for fun…Forgive me, oh great and mighty Takahashi, for the way I tragically mutilate your characters! It isn't intentional! **

**Lol…**

He stood on a hill far above the human village, eyeing it hesitantly. He made a point of frequently forcing himself to visit, lest Rin think he had forgotten her completely. He hated going there; hated being around so many humans, hated having everyone else's happiness rubbed in his face.

At first, he'd taken a sort of satisfaction in the fact that InuYasha was left alone, the clay miko and the future miko both finally departed to where they belonged; one to the afterlife and one into a far away time. But as three years passed he found that seeing InuYasha's loneliness and pain did not ease the ache within his own heart. He had actually been almost happy for his younger brother when the future miko returned, and they were wed. The wedding had been just two days ago. He had, grudgingly, gone to the wedding. Everyone seemed genuinely pleased to see him…but he had not forced himself to endure their romantic nonsense and giddiness for long before departing.

Rin was growing up, he'd noted absently. She no longer squirmed and jumped for joy at the sight of him. She was more mature, calmer, and her form had begun to mature…and he found it saddened him oddly. She had been as close to his heart as if she were his own pup. And the day when the pup realized that life was not all a game; that playing and rolling on the ground had a place, but it was not the focus of life, was a sort of bittersweet day. He was pleased that Rin had finally readjusted to her own people; realizing that not all humans were like the bandits who had murdered her family. Yet he missed the days when she ran to him with handfuls of flowers and made up little songs to sing in her sweet, innocent voice. Her clothing at the wedding had sent pangs through his heart…a material in a pattern all too familiar…all too similar to…

The wind picked up and whipped lightly at his hair. He gritted his teeth against the rush of emotion. Why must she haunt him so? Over three years…and still every time the wind blew, his heart felt as if some huge hand gripped it tightly…an ironic thought, he supposed, considering that that was exactly the way she had lived her brief life. He heard her whisper to him on the breeze; saw her form in the dust that rose on a dry day in a fierce wind; felt her spirit in the movement of the air.

He sighed and turned away from the village. No. He would not go there again yet. It had only been two days since the wedding. He had seen everyone then. He would not subject himself to the sorrow that came from watching them all in their happiness; the houshi and the exterminator with their children; InuYasha and the futuristic miko in their newlywed bliss…It hurt too much.

He found himself returning again to the meadow. As much as he worked to deny and resist the feelings that pained him so, it was always to this place he returned when it hurt most. The soft pink flowers never seemed to fade or die, and he often wondered if there was magic in this place, something that gave it lasting life. He knew exactly where he had last seen her; the traces of poison had killed the ground in that one place, leaving one empty place in the center of the meadow. He stood there, images flashing before his mind's eye in quick succession: the look on her face when she saw him; the surprise and joy when he told her he had come to her knowingly, intentionally. The small smile on her bloodstained lips as she faded.

He dug his claws into his palms, ignoring the pain and the scent of blood. There must have been something; something he could have done to prevent what had happened. Perhaps, had he taken the Jewel shards the time she'd offered them, rather than coolly rejecting her, she would be alive. Perhaps, had he managed to kill Naraku during the confrontation at the castle, rather than letting him escape in order to save Rin, she would be alive. Perhaps, had he kept her with him the time she had been injured and fallen into the river, rather than letting her go risk her life again, she would be alive. Perhaps, had he found some way to force Tenseiga to his will, she would be alive. But she was not alive. Any opportunity he may have had to save her was long gone, and Kagura was dead.

Suddenly the wind blew hard, and so many pink petals were whisked into the air that he was momentarily blinded by them. When the wind faded, he looked up. She really was haunting him, wasn't she? Any time his thoughts turned to her, the wind blew. He turned to leave, to remove himself from this place of sorrow. As he did, something caught his eye. He turned and saw a lone figure walking among the trees on the other side of the meadow. He scented the air but his nose was affected by the heavy scent of the windblown flowers.

He laid his hand upon the hilt of Bakusaiga, annoyed that he could not scent anything about the person. Quickly, he leapt the distance of the grove and cut down two of the trees the interloper hid behind. White and magenta flashed before his eyes and the scent filled his nostrils. He gasped as she came down before him, looking just as shocked as he knew he must appear.

Before him, staring at him with wide crimson eyes, was Kagura the Wind User; a woman three years dead.

"Sess…Sesshoumaru? You can see me?"

He just stared at her, trying to pull together his composure and not look like a gaping idiot.

"You are dead, are you not? How is that you are here?"

Kagura laid a hand to her chest and looked up at him, eyes wide.

"I…I don't know…Though the last few days I was feeling different."

"What do you mean? You speak as though you have been alive."

"I have been…in a way. I was _the wind_, Sesshoumaru. It was wonderful. I went so many places…I don't know why my spirit didn't leave the earth. Maybe there was no place it belonged…maybe I was not fit for either Heaven or Hell. I've been in this meadow, mostly, since Naraku died. Though…I have been with you a great deal, following you…"

He was actually speechless, staring at her. Finally, he mustered up his voice.

"How is this possible? You do not look like a spirit. You look real, and your scent is real. What has happened?"

"I don't know…just the last few days, as I've walked, I started to feel different…more alive…more physical…and now…" She laid her hand to her chest again. "My heart is beating."

Suddenly she looked up at him again, her red eyes alight, and before he could comprehend what she was doing, she wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed happily; something he was not sure he had every heard her do before. He was still in shock, still unable to believe that this was possible. She was warm and alive. He could hear her heartbeat. He must have gone mad. He must be dreaming. He allowed the embrace, but, of course, did not return it. She stood away from him quickly, but kept her hands on his shoulders.

"I see you haven't changed much. Except…there's something different." She eyed him up and down, then her eyes widened slightly and she slid her hands from his shoulders down his arms. "You…have two arms now." She smiled and finally released him. "Sesshoumaru…you remembered me. You fought for my memory…you did everything in your power to make sure I didn't die in vain…I saw it all, you know."

He turned from her, not wanting her see the shock and the joy in his eyes.

"It was only fitting, as you had so often sought to aid me. You were an ally of sorts, and one does not let one's allies be killed without avenging them."

She was silent, and he turned, curious, to find her shuffling around with her clothing, totally ignoring his excuses and pretended indifference. She stuck a hand down the front of her kimono, and he raised an eyebrow, finding himself amused for the first time in far too long. She took her hand back out and reached up her sleeve as he continued to watch her, puzzled.

"Ah! Here it is!"

She pulled her fan from her sleeve and opened and closed it twice, seeming to be reassuring herself that it was in working order. Now that the shock was fading, though he still could not understand how this had come to be, he began to notice her appearance. Her hair was partially down, laying in a tailed style over one shoulder, the way it had been the day she fell into the river so badly wounded. He thought she was beautiful with her hair like that. He shoved that thought aside. Her white, butterfly patterned kimono…the pattern that Rin's clothing had recently, painfully reminded him of…hugged her in all the right places, just loose enough and just tight enough. He blinked. What was he thinking? The shock of having her return had obviously gone to his head. Why was that? He'd seen more than his share of the dead returning to life. Even Rin was a testament to that; twice over, in fact.

He continued to watch her. She no longer seemed aware of him, more interested in examining herself. She stuffed her fan back into her sleeve…it was a mystery to him how she kept it up there, there must be some sort of holder for it…she tied and retied her sash, and then she reached up to her hair and cursed rather strongly. He lifted a brow again.

"Is something out of place?"

"My feathers are gone! That's just great! How the heck am I supposed to get around without one?"

He was rather puzzled by the fact that everything else seemed to have returned to its rightful place along with her, but not the feathers. It wouldn't matter, except that it put him in a position of doing something he'd rather not. He sighed and forced himself to do it, even if it meant basically admitting a certain attachment to her.

"Would this do?" He pulled the feather from where he wore it in a tiny silk pouch around his neck. She took it, her warm, living fingers brushing his briefly.

"Hey, this is one of them…" Her bright ruby eyes suddenly met his. "Sesshoumaru…you…you kept this?"

He fought to keep his nonchalant front in place.

"When you…passed on, the wind carried one of the feathers away. But the other one came to me on the breeze. I kept it…as a reminder of my duty to you."

He nearly winced at the weakness of his excuse. Duty…huh. Not hardly. He'd never have bothered even thinking of her if he hadn't felt something for her. Growling internally, he silenced that inner voice that so constantly whispered annoying truths.

In practiced movements, she pulled a green ribbon from her sleeve…now he was wondering what else she might have stored up there…took it between her teeth, whipped her hair into its familiar bun, and tied it back with the ribbon, tucking the feather into it. She pulled her fan out again and turned to face the trees.

"Let's see if this still works. Fujin no mai!"

He watched the wind blades spin outward and take down several trees. She smirked.

"Good, I can still kick butt."

He found he had a hard time resisting the small twitch at the corners of his mouth, the unfamiliar urge to smile sincerely. She turned to him. This whole time, she had seemed almost ecstatic. Now, she seemed somehow sad.

"It's odd…all that time I wanted freedom. Then when I had it, it was so short. And then…it's been a couple of years, hasn't it?"

"Over three years."

"Wow…I've been dead longer than I was alive. Anyway…I've been the wind for three years, Sesshoumaru. It was this strange state of being. I could see and feel and hear everything…but in a different way than I do now. I can't even describe it. I was an element, not a person…yet there was so much of my consciousness left. And now…now I don't know what to do with myself. I don't know where to go…"

"I believe my brother and his companions would be pleased to see you again. They seemed saddened by your passing. And Kohaku would be relieved to see you as well."

"That's right; you had Kohaku with you for a while. You looked after him….Thank you."

"You had risked your life for him…I sought to fulfill your wishes in keeping him alive."

She smiled.

"I'm glad to be back, Sesshoumaru, however it happened. And…I'm glad you were the first person I saw… I think I will go see your brother now. See you!"

Then she was gone, into the sky, with that brief, casual farewell. Just like old times. He turned and watched as the entire field of flowers, the meadow that had seemed trapped in the moment of her death, faded away into a simple grassy plain. And he finally allowed himself to smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Kagome heard the frightened shout and turned towards the sound, worried. It had only been two days since the wedding, yet she still spent her days out in the village, even though InuYasha would much prefer she stayed in bed all day. Miroku and Sango, reportedly, hadn't even been seen for two weeks after their wedding. Still, Kagome felt a certain duty to be around. Kaede got bad pains in her joints if forced to walk too much, and though Rin was good for running errands and taking herbal mixtures to the sick, she was not so educated. And since one of the village woman was due to give birth any day, Kagome thought it best to be prepared to act as midwife. Besides, no matter how much she loved InuYasha, she was still a bit sore from the wedding night and didn't particularly enjoy the thought of partaking in _those_ activities again until she felt better. Still, it might have been worth the discomfort if it would keep him from following her around with his arms crossed over his chest, blatantly pouting.

His ears perked up at the sound of the scream.

"Youkai!"

InuYasha's eyes were wide.

"That scent! It's like…like Kagura, like her scent without Naraku's."

He leapt away quickly, and Kagome ran after him. She stopped short when she rounded a hut and saw the wind user standing in the middle of the street. She didn't appear to be inclined towards violence, though she was tapping her fan against her hand idly, and several village men were arming themselves already. Kagome thought of the last few times she had seen Kagura, and immediately decided that, no matter how this miracle had come about, this was something to be happy about. So she ran to the youkai woman and hugged her tightly. Kagura stiffened, not accustomed to such affection, suddenly understanding Sesshoumaru's rigidity when she hugged him earlier, but then she awkwardly wrapped her arms around the other girl.

"Kagura, how?!"

Kagura stepped away from Kagome and grinned mischievously at InuYasha.

"I have no idea, but it's nice surprise, eh?"

InuYasha wrinkled his nose in pretended disgust; an old habit.

"You smell like Sesshoumaru."

She shrugged.

"He was the first person I saw."

"Did he have something to do with this?"

"No. He was just as surprised as me. You would have loved the look on his face, InuYasha."

Kagome was lost in thought, registering their conversation but not taking part. Suddenly a bright ball of light zipped down the street and settled several feet from InuYasha, Sesshoumaru's form appearing quickly. InuYasha, still locked in the old pattern of things, despite that he and Sesshoumaru were on reasonably good terms now, automatically jumped another couple of feet away and flexed his claws. Sesshoumaru ignored him, his expression neutral as always, yet his eyes were locked on Kagura. Kagome suddenly snapped her fingers and exclaimed quietly.

"I think I get it now! Hey, Sesshoumaru, Kagura, come to the house and talk, would you?"

Kagura followed easily enough, though Sesshoumaru seemed more hesitant. When they were inside, Kagura leaned casually against the doorframe, InuYasha perched childishly on the counter top Kagome had insisted he make for her, Kagome sat down and Sesshoumaru just stood, flicking his eyes back and forth between Kagura and Kagome.

"I think I understand now. When I wished on the Jewel…I wished for whatever was best to happen. I couldn't wish for a happy ending, because that would be partially selfish. Instead, I wished that whatever was actually best for everyone would happen; even if it wasn't what I wanted. Most importantly, the Jewel disappeared. Miroku and Sango got together. Rin got over her fear of humans. Kohaku is happy now. Finally, InuYasha and I were married. But I thought of Kagura when I was wishing…I was so sad that she'd tried to help us and then died. She was the only one of Naraku's offspring I really pitied. I think I wished her back."

Sesshoumaru spoke up.

"How is this matter related to this Sesshoumaru?"

Kagome considered speaking the truth, but knew it wouldn't go over well, so instead she fished up another reason. She wondered if he had noticed that she didn't mention having wished something for him. She _had _wished whatever was best for him; but only now did she realize just what that was.

"I just figured you would be curious. She mentioned she'd seen you already, so I supposed you'd be wondering."

He nodded just slightly. Kagura spoke now.

"Why was I dead so long then?"

"I'm not sure. My own best thing took three years too, remember. I think maybe the Jewel knew there were things in our characters that had to be developed further before we could reach our destinies. InuYasha and I weren't mature enough to get married three years ago, and even if we had, I would have constantly felt bad about not finishing my education in my time. So our part of my wish didn't come true until we were ready for it."

InuYasha snorted.

"That doesn't make any sense! Kagura was dead. It's not as if her character was developing."

"I was alive, in a sense. But InuYasha's right, I don't think I've changed much."

"How were you alive?"

"As the wind."

"Oh…wow…that's cool…I wouldn't have expected that you actually _are _the wind, in a sort of literal since....Anyway…maybe you needed to get the longing for freedom out of your system, to see how lonely it can be, and now you're ready to adjust to living a more normal life."

Kagura spent a long moment in thoughtful silence.

"I still love the freedom. But being the wind _was _lonely…I wouldn't mind being around others again."

Her gaze skipped to Sesshoumaru and for a moment their eyes met. Kagome smiled at InuYasha, who gave her a blank, uncomprehending look. She rolled her eyes. In truth, it was Sesshoumaru who Kagome thought had needed the time. He had softened, at least somewhat. And he had mourned.

She had seen the sadness in his eyes. At first, she had thought it was just sadness at having let Rin, who was for all purposes his pup, go back to her people. But then at the wedding, she had seen the way Rin's butterfly kimono affected him, the sharp pain and then the deep withdrawal into himself. That was when she had realized what it was he mourned for. Suddenly she'd recalled things. She'd not even been aware that Sesshoumaru and Kagura knew each other, until the day they arrived in the field of flowers and saw Kagura die, fading into the wind she so loved, with Sesshoumaru watching on. She hadn't even thought to question why Sesshoumaru was there. Then there was the battle with Mouryoumaru when Sesshoumaru had nearly been killed while defending Kagura's memory. Kagome had never seen him so angry before that; angry enough to let his composure break, lose his cool, and risk his life. At the wedding, seeing the pain in his face, she'd finally understood.

And now this. Kagura brought back to life. Kagome wanted to dance around and laugh happily. It wasn't that she had any great affection for Kagura; just pity and a desire to befriend. But Kagome had, strangely enough, come to care deeply about her brother-in-law. He had been the only one alone, at the end. Even Jaken spent more time with Rin in the village, at Sesshoumaru's orders, than he did with his master. No matter how heartless Sesshoumaru could seem at times, she had known he must be lonely, especially knowing he had cared for Kagura.

Now Kagura and Sesshoumaru had a chance again. And from the way their eyes kept drifting to each other, it seemed it was a chance they appreciated.

**AN: I'm not sure I conveyed what I meant about the Wish well. Basically, Kagome couldn't make a selfish wish, so she wished that the best thing, the good thing, would happen. She could have wished to be with InuYasha; instead she wished whatever was best for them would happen, even if it wasn't what she wanted, thus making it not selfish…okay, it's kinda weak, but whateva, I just needed an excuse to resurrect Kagura, lol.**


	3. Chapter 3

Rin came too quickly through the doorway and ran into Kagura, who, being very graceful, spun around once to keep from falling and stayed upright. Rin wasn't so fortunate; the gangly eleven year old fell on her behind and stared wide eyed up at the youkai woman. She rose and instinctively moved closer to Sesshoumaru, an old habit born of her time under his protection.

"Ka…Kagura?"

Kagura grinned.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, kid. I only ever kidnapped you 'cause I had to."

Rin looked to Kagome for affirmation. The older girl nodded, and Rin turned the full force of her sunny smile to the wind user briefly, before turning towards Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, you've come back so soon! I didn't think I'd see you again for while."

Sesshoumaru nodded.

"I followed the wind user to ensure she didn't cause any trouble."

Kagura touched her fan to her lips, trying to hide her smile.

"Well, I'm off…just thought I'd let you guys know I'm around again."

"But Kagura…" Kagome instantly spoke up. "Where will you go?"

"I think I'll go find Kohaku. After that…I don't know. I guess I'll just wander around a bit. Maybe kill a few lesser youkai or hire my fighting services out, if anyone will take a woman as a soldier."

"Well why don't you go with Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru glared at Kagome, InuYasha looked at her like she was crazy, and Kagura and Rin just looked puzzled.

"What nonsense are you speaking, woman?" Sesshoumaru looked beyond ticked off, yet he still seemed unable to keep his eyes from moving to Kagura every so often. "I have no need of a companion."

"Well, Kagura hasn't really lived at all. She was only a few months old when she passed, and during that time all she did was either follow Naraku's orders or try to betray him. She really probably doesn't know much about really living. You could show her the ropes, Sesshoumaru, like you did with Rin. You taught her how to fend for herself but gave her someone to turn to when she couldn't. Why not do that again? It's no different."

Sesshoumaru almost wanted to laugh at the utter ridiculousness of saying there was no difference. Rin, he considered his pup. It was one thing to guide a young child to finding her way. It was another thing completely to take with him this beautiful, seductive, creature, who despite being technically younger than Rin, was in all other ways a woman.

"I have no desire for a companion."

"And I'm perfectly able to take care of myself."

Kagome sighed. Perhaps this would be harder than she'd thought.

…….


	4. Chapter 4

Sesshoumaru stayed some twenty minutes after Kagura left, though his first instinct was to follow her. Instead he stayed to let his sister-in-law update him on Rin's progress in her training with Kaede and Kagome. He hadn't had an opportunity to hear about his pup at the wedding. All the reports were glowing, and Rin smiled so bright at Kagome's praise that Sesshoumaru actually found himself tussling her hair affectionately. He was in an exceptionally good mood today. He noted how InuYasha looked shocked at the gesture, while Rin just beamed even more. It was Kagome's expression that made him uncomfortable, however. She had a strange, mysterious little smile at the corners of her mouth, and it suddenly crossed his mind to worry that she might have somehow guessed the reason for his lighter demeanor. Women had a way of guessing emotions and their causes, he'd found. Even Rin was good at that. And he supposed it would be hard to miss that fact that he was in a better mood than he had been in years, and it just so happened to be the day Kagura miraculously returned.

After a little while, Kagome sent Rin to run some errand, more as an excuse to get her out of the house than anything.

"Sesshoumaru, I'm sure you've noticed that Rin is growing up." He nodded. "She'll probably start her bleeding soon. And while it's still very strange to me, I suppose that technically makes her eligible to start being courted." Sesshoumaru could practically feel his hackles rising, even in this form. Rin, courted? At her age? The thought almost made his eyes go red. "How do you want us to handle it, Sesshoumaru? You're her father, basically. I think it should be your decision whether she can be courted immediately or whether you'd rather let it be for a few years. Personally I'd rather she get to be a child for a while longer. I started going with InuYasha when I was fifteen. I'd rather Rin wait at least that long. But I'll let that be up to you."

He was relieved that Kagome's opinion was the same as his. She was basically raising Rin now, so he was glad there would be no argument from her.

"I wish her to be older before she is courted and wed. Let it be done as it is in your birth-time, miko."

Kagome nodded. Sesshoumaru bid them farewell and left. He wanted to track Kagura down, but resisted the urge. She was _alive_. That was enough. He would be able to see her again, but he must not appear desperate to do so. He walked through town rather than transporting himself. He wanted to savor the traces of her scent mingled in with that of the humans. A human child ran to him, a boy, holding its chubby little arms up in a plea to be held. He actually considered lifting it for a moment. Heavens help him, had he gone mad?! Still he let himself reach for the toddler's head, tussling his dark hair lightly. The child laughed and ran back to his mother, who had been watching nervously.

When he reached the outskirts of the village, he was about to take to the skies, but suddenly Kagura jumped down from a tree and landed only about two feet in front of him. She smiled.

"You're different, aren't you, Sesshoumaru? You've changed. I never thought I'd see you tussling some little human brat's hair. What happened to cause a change like that?"

"Time brings changes. I was taught a lesson in compassion. The cost of not learning was too great. Rin died."

"She _died_? But she's alive."

"You died as well. Yet here you are."

"True. But what happened?"

"It's a long story, and one that is no longer of relevance."

"Except that it's got you touching human children in kindness. That's a pretty big deal, you know."

He stepped forward, intending to walk by her. He'd expected her to move aside; everyone did. Instead, she held her ground and he nearly ran into her. He stopped quickly, mere inches from her. Her scent washed over him. He'd always loved her scent; but it had always been hard to separate from Naraku's nauseating stench in the past. Now, that disgusting smell was gone, leaving only her own scent; a scent like the wind after it had blown through fields of roses and strawberries wet with dew in the early hours of morning. She moved even closer to him. Their bodies nearly touched. She tilted her head up and a simply evil grin flitted across her lips. Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

This was intolerable. She'd been forward before, but never _this _forward. Before her death, she'd flirted and toyed, but never had she dared to invade his space. Earlier today, when he'd seen her again for the first time, he'd allowed her brief hug, pleased to have her back. But this was totally different, and not something he was going to stand for. Or at least, that was what he told himself. Yet the sweet scent of her breath on his face drew him to her, and he was suddenly overwhelmed by the very nearly irresistible desire to kiss her. He drew in a deep breath in an attempt to strengthen his will, but it was the wrong thing to do, filling his senses with the smell of her. He lost his inner battle.

He couldn't remember when he'd last kissed a woman. Even in his extremely rare trysts with one demoness or another, kissing was not normally on the agenda. Normally it was short, frenzied couplings meant only to ease the needs of the body, not to form any kind of emotional bond. It had been many human years since he'd coupled, and many more since he'd last kissed. It wasn't that it would be hard to find a willing partner; his looks and status insured that. But he simply didn't have the time, and he considered thinking of coupling as a need a sign of weakness. But even the comparatively few kisses he had indulged in over the course of his long life had never been like this.

Kagura's mouth tasted like heaven. She'd wrapped her arms up around his neck and he was vaguely aware that he had pulled her right off the ground. Though his armor blocked him from feeling the warmth of her body, he could feel her legs against his and her arms around his neck, once again overwhelming him with the truth of the fact that she was _alive_. Truly, wonderfully alive. He pushed her back against a nearby tree and ravished her mouth with more passion than he'd ever felt before. He was hungry, desperately hungry for her. He could feel her fingers running over the sensitive tips of his pointed ears, into his hair. He kissed her neck and shuddered at her moans. He moved back up and scraped over her bottom lip lightly with his fangs, licking away the resulting tiny drop of blood and savoring her gasp of pleasure. Her scent kept getting more alluring; more filled with longing, calling to his instincts, to his beast. This was insane. At this rate he'd take her right here, against a tree only a few meters away from a human village. He forced himself to pull away. She looked up at him, her ruby eyes locking with his gold ones. She smiled mockingly.

"I knew you weren't really so cold as you'd like everyone to believe."

Her fingers traced the now jagged lines on his cheeks. He blinked away the redness around the edges of his vision. She walked a little ways away from him, and he inwardly cursed at his weakness as his eyes followed the movement of her hips. Suddenly she locked her hands together above her head…he couldn't help but notice how this pulled her kimono tight across her chest…then she spun around and tumbled into the long grass, laughing like a child. He lifted his brows, puzzled. What on earth had gotten into her? He walked over and looked down at her where she sprawled, amused. She grinned up at him.

"Come join me, Sesshoumaru."

He snorted in a rather undignified way.

"I think not."

She pouted prettily.

"Stuck-up spoilsport."

He perched on a nearby boulder and tried to keep his thoughts off of how much he truly did want to join her in the grass; though not to simply sprawl and look up at the clouds, as she was doing now; rather to satiate his desire for her, with no regard for the fact that anyone could come upon them here.

"Weren't you going to see Kohaku?"

"Mm-hmm." The affirmative sound was too much like a moan. He gritted his teeth against the rush of desire. "But I feel really tired. Not everyday a person comes back to life, you know. I wonder if Kagome would let me stay the night at her place?"

"I'm certain she would, but you may hear some rather…awkward…activities. The wedding was only two days ago. Judging from the scent in the house earlier, they haven't joined since the wedding night, no doubt for Kagome's sake. I shudder at the thought of how clumsy my brother must be. He no doubt hurt her more than necessary. Yet today, she smelled willing. I think they'll be rather…occupied, tonight."

Kagura laughed melodically. He'd never heard her laugh as much as he had today. She seemed so carefree, so happy.

"I guess I'll just sleep out here then."

"No need for that. The old miko, Kaede, will likely be willing to let you stay with her. Rin lives there as well. The villagers will likely be wary of you, but the old woman has seen and experienced much and will accept InuYasha's word, and mine, when we say you will do no harm to anyone."

"That sounds good. Thanks."

The sun was setting. She sat up, and he stood, offering her a hand and pulling her to her feet. He found himself looking at her lips, longing for one more taste before they parted ways, not knowing when he'd see her again. He surrendered to the urge.

She sighed softly as his lips met hers. Soon they were back in their own little world, a world of such intense passion that it was nearly irresistible. Never had he felt like this. He couldn't believe he was _allowing _himself to feel like this. Especially in a place where any nosy villager might bear witness to the fact that he was not so cold and dignified as he wished them to believe; and that one nosy villager may very well tell InuYasha, and he would never live it down. Still, as he relished the sound of her heart beating fast and kissed his way down her throat, he found himself thinking it was worth it. After three years of regret; of wishing he'd shown more kindness to her, showed at least some hint of affection for her; this chance to hold her close and taste her was not something he was going to pass up.

When the pull of her body began to overwhelm his control again, he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, finding himself lost in the softness inside her eyes, behind the tough girl act she wore. He wondered what she saw in his eyes. Did she see that same softness behind his façade of ice? She reached up to trace his markings again, smiling as her fingers moved in almost zigzagging motions across the jagged lines.

"I love knowing I can make this happen. Your eyes are going red, too."

He nodded and forced the redness away. The lines would fade back to normal in their own time. He traced her bottom lip with his claw, loving the shiver that went through her, loving the way her lips were slightly swollen, her cheeks flushed lightly, her eyes sparkling.

"I'll come with you and tell the old woman you will not cause trouble."

Rin ran out to greet them when they approached the old woman's house.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, you're still here! Rin is happy to see you so much. Hi, Kagura."

Kagura smiled at the girl. Sesshoumaru didn't respond; he was too busy worrying about the strangely knowing look in Rin's eyes as she looked back and forth between them. Old Kaede came out to greet them.

"Woman, would you allow the wind user a place to sleep this night? You have my word she will do no harm."

"Certainly. Will ye stay also, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"No. I must be on my way. Farewell."

He allowed his eyes to linger on Kagura once more. She smiled. Then he turned and left, forming into his ball of energy to transport himself. Jaken, who had been standing completely unnoticed next to Kaede, just gaped after him, horrified by the implications of the look between his master and the revived wind user.


	5. Chapter 5

**Three Months Later:**

Kagura batted her eyelashes as she peered over her fan at the simpleton standing a few feet away. She held out her hand.

"Payment in advance." He tossed her a small cloth sack full of money. She grinned. "See ya!"

He gaped as she flew away, and she laughed aloud. Fool. She flopped down on her feather and dug through the bag, counting. Poor thing had been too honest for his own good; he could have given her a sack of junk, yet he'd paid just the agreed upon amount.

She wasn't sure what had made her decide to get rich. Maybe it was a desire for security and the power to choose her own path. She was determined to never again be an underling to anybody. And she had realized quickly that having money was one way to ensure that it never happened again. She'd considered becoming a mercenary; but that would mean answering to whoever hired her, and she hated that idea. She'd quickly discovered that with her looks, and a little flirting, she could easily sell anything, even if it wasn't something she actually had to sell. That last fellow had thought he was buying an ornamental dagger. Fool hadn't even asked to see the wares before he paid. No matter that she'd hated him, she was still Naraku's offspring, and as such had no qualms about a little lying and stealing.

She was considering settling somewhere. It would be nice to have a home. She wasn't sure where she could find such a place, however. She'd heard of settlements of youkai, towns where the more civilized demons could live in relative peace, but for some reason the idea of living in one of those places was not appealing to her. She would likely end up wandering for the rest of her days, she supposed.

She touched down on the sharp face of a cliff, where a large house was built into the side of the mountain. One of Naraku's many hideouts; she would never even think of living within this place. But it was as good a place as any to hide the money she'd been storing up. She tossed the sack into the basement where Mouryoumaru had once been locked up, still in Goryoumaru's form. She had been reduced to nothing more than a jailer then. She frowned at the memories.

Standing on the balcony, she looked out over the valley and sighed. Where was Sesshoumaru now? She had not seen him since the day she had returned to the world of the living. The memory of his kiss, of the fire behind the ice, was still fresh in her mind. She brought her fingertips to her lips and smiled at the memory. Her return seemed to have shocked him out of his normal coldness. She wondered if she would ever see that fiery side of him again. It was certainly something to hope for.

……..

Rin was sitting in a tree, too high up for Sesshoumaru's protective instincts to be happy with, swinging her legs and singing happily. He couldn't help but smile just slightly as he approached, pleased that the little girl he had first seen in her was still there, despite that she was already beginning to seem more and more like a young woman, even at her tender age. He stood at the base of the tree and looked up.

"Rin."

She started and squeaked in surprise, then scrambled down the tree with surprising agility and grinned at him. She was the picture of health and happiness, her hair a messy jumble and her clothing rumpled and torn in a few places. He supposed it was an old outfit kept merely for the purpose of playing in.

"Oh, Sesshoumaru-sama! You've come back again! Will you come and see this Rin's new pet?"

He felt again the once unfamiliar, and yet lately rather common, desire to smile at the way she referred to herself. He followed her, curious. He had left Jaken and Ah-Un here with her, at least for the moment, and could hardly understand why she would need anything else; Jaken and the humans provided companionship enough for her, surely, and Ah-Un ought to satisfy any desire she had for a pet. Yet he had come to some degree of understanding of the ways of humans, and he had a suspicion that he was about to be introduced to something small and furry.

He wasn't particularly surprised, then, when she called out and a black ball of fluff went hurtling into her arms. She held it up to him proudly, and he was both amused by the creature and almost ashamed that it could possibly be considered a distantly related member of his species. Its little pink tongue lolled out and it seemed to grin at him, its brown eyes sparkling. It squirmed away from Rin's grasp suddenly and lowered onto its belly on the ground, resting its little chin on its paws and looking up at him. Acknowledging its instinctual gesture of respect towards him, he reached down to rub its furry ears, suddenly wondering if he looked that undignified and ungraceful and, most disturbingly of all, adorable, when in his natural form. It was a profoundly troubling thought.

"Hey, Sesshoumaru! Don't let that _thing _get near you! It's a monster!"

Sesshoumaru tilted his head slightly in acknowledgment of his brother's presence, and also as a query. He quickly saw what InuYasha meant; the puppy had recognized Sesshoumaru's power among their connected species, and so had been quiet and respectful in his presence: however, when it caught sight of InuYasha, the small dog immediately launched into action, bounding as quickly as possible on its short legs towards the hanyou, pouncing on him, licking and pawing at him in extreme, overdone adoration.

While InuYasha struggled to remove the creature from his person and Rin danced around him laughing and occasionally reminding him not to hurt her pet, Sesshoumaru turned to greet his sister-in-law, who he could sense coming up behind him. Her adopted fox kit sat on her shoulder, and he resisted the urge to wrinkle his nose in distaste; he'd always hated the scent of foxes, for no particular reason he could think of. He was distracted from the unpleasant odor quickly, however, by the sudden realization that his brother's scent hung around the miko in a different way than it normally did. He stepped closer to the priestess and breathed in, confirming what he suspected. He waited for the kitsune to jump away from her and join in the frolic with the puppy before he glanced at Kagome's stomach, then back up to her eyes, raising his brows in question.

"Yes, it's true; but don't say it aloud; I haven't told InuYasha yet. I'm waiting for the right moment."

"He has not found the change in your scent? He truly is a fool then, and his instincts are even more inferior than I'd thought."

"Who are you talking about? Who's a fool?"

Sesshoumaru gave his brother a cool glance, despite his internal amusement, as the hanyou approached him; kit on one shoulder, Rin on his back, and puppy in his arms.

"Who else but you, little brother?"

InuYasha growled and rolled his eyes, but took no further action. Sesshoumaru was slightly surprised by that. Normally InuYasha would at least threaten to battle him, even if neither of them had any intention of killing each other any more. Perhaps his foolish little brother had finally begun to mature, Sesshoumaru thought; and it was a good thing too, with a pup on the way. InuYasha was hardly the fatherly type; but with a little more maturing and instinct on his side; and of course Kagome to act as a shield; the child would hopefully not suffer too much.

The group walked back towards the village from the meadow they'd been standing in, and Sesshoumaru was suddenly filled with a strange, very unfamiliar sense of wellbeing…of happiness. The world had been restored to its rightful state. Naraku and the Jewel were gone for good, as was the woman who had in some ways been the beginning of all the trouble; the woman who had prompted Onigumo's transformation into Naraku. The houshi and the exterminator were wed, with children. Sesshoumaru didn't have any particular interest in those two; but Rin's stories of them and their children had brought a certain sort of fondness for them into his heart. Then there were InuYasha and Kagome, with Kaede as a sort of mother to them both; the kitsune as their adopted child; and now a pup growing within Kagome's womb. He was more certain than ever that he had made the right decision in leaving Rin here, no matter how it had saddened him. Here, she had, in a sense, a real family; Kaede may as well have been her grandmother; InuYasha and Kagome surrogate parents, and now, with Shippo and the new pup, she would have siblings again. Perhaps, someday, she would accompany him again, if it was her wish. But for the moment, he was very pleased to see her living here, in this village where she was so loved.

Yet these things, despite that they pleased him very much, were not the main source of his happiness. His heart had been freed from years of sorrow, and after being so weighed down, it felt lighter than it had felt even before the sorrow had settled in. No longer did he dread the touch of the wind. Now, it never failed to bring the urge to smile; the memory of his favorite scent and the taste of warm, soft lips. He hadn't seen Kagura since the day she returned, three months back, yet he did not need to see her to be made happy by her presence. Just the knowledge that she was out there somewhere, alive and well, was enough to ease all the pain.


	6. Chapter 6

Rin tripped on the doorstep and, going too fast to stop; hurtled forward and gasped as her puppy went flying from her arms. She stopped her fall with her hands on the ground and looked up fearfully, worried that the dog had been hurt. Instead she found Kagura standing in front of her, her arms filled with squirming, yipping black fur, amusement in her eyes as she looked down at the sprawled eleven year old.

"I'm glad I was never a gangly kid. What is this thing supposed to be?"

Rin gathered herself up, not at all fazed by her clumsiness or Kagura's amused teasing.

"It's a puppy! His name is Baka…it's not very nice, but InuYasha called him that so much that now he won't come if we call him anything else."

"_This _is a dog? Looks like a living rug if you ask me. Where the heck is its face?" She pushed back matted fur until she found twinkling brown eyes and a rather adorable, grin-like expression on the creature. "Oh, there you are. Poor thing, buried in all that fluff." She laughed as it licked her face heartily, and spent a moment petting it and rubbing its ears before handing it back to Rin. "So, are Kagome and InuYasha around?"

"InuYasha went to Granny Kaede's house to get some herbs to make Kagome feel better. She's sick."

"Is she alright? What's the matter with her? She got a cold or something?"

"No, she's sick to her stomach, and all tired and stuff. I'm scared…I don't want anything to happen to her…"

Kagura noted tears welling up in Rin's eyes and felt suddenly very affectionate towards the girl. She wrapped an arm around the human's thin shoulder and tussled her hair.

"It's all right, I'm sure she'll be just fine. You humans are always getting little sicknesses, but she'll probably be up and about before you know it."

Kagome suddenly ran out the door, surprising Kagura and Rin, who jumped out of her way as she rushed by and emptied her stomach among some bushes. Kagura instantly noticed something odd. As a demon, she had heightened senses, though not so much as animal demons like Sesshoumaru or Kouga did. She was also able to sense auras, and, to some small degree, human life forces as well. She could sense Kagome's normal life force, though it seemed mildly weakened; not in any frightening or life-threatening way, simply as an indication of her illness. However, Kagura could also sense another force; what seemed at first an unbelievably tiny human life, but upon closer inspection also contained traces of demonic aura. Suddenly, Kagura realized just what was going on here. It would appear that Kagome was carrying InuYasha's child.

Kagura had always had an understanding of life, from beginning to end. Thank heavens Naraku seemed to have created her with all the knowledge of a full grown woman. She momentarily had a ludicrous mental picture of Naraku explaining to her life's origins. The thought made her snicker. It would have been enjoyable to watch him squirm. Because she had been created with a fully intact knowledge of such things, she easily understood what was happening to Kagome, and that there was probably nothing to fear; many human women suffered from stomach upsets and weariness during pregnancy.

Kagome rose up and blinked, obviously surprised at Kagura's presence. The miko was pale and had circles under her eyes; her hair was a mess and she was wearing odd clothing in some soft pink material.

"Oh, Kagura…it's so good to see you again…won't you come in? I'm sorry I'm not up to getting tea or anything…"

"Rin will do that!"

The girl bounded into the house, puppy at her heels, and Kagura found herself smiling after her. It seemed impossible not to be drawn to the awkward, gangly, and yet pretty little girl, with her adorable character. With the girl gone, Kagura turned to Kagome.

"Seems congratulations are in order."

Kagome groaned and rubbed her still flat belly.

"Yeah, but at the moment it sure doesn't feel worthy of being congratulated about. Sheesh, it's impossible to keep a secret around here. All you youkai with your extra senses; first Sesshoumaru guessed, now you…"

Kagura was glad Kagome wasn't looking at her, for she had the annoying feeling that her whole being had just lit up. She tried to keep her voice casual.

"Is…Is Sesshoumaru here, by any chance?"

Kagome headed into the house, shaking her head in the negative.

"No. He was here a week ago, but he took off again. I really must get around to telling InuYasha about the baby…He and Rin are so worried about me…but to tell the truth I'm a bit afraid that InuYasha might not be happy. He hasn't mentioned anything about wanting children right away…Oh, but I don't suppose you're interested in all that…I don't mean to bore you."

Kagura shrugged, disappointed that Sesshoumaru was not present, and followed Kagome into the kitchen and dining area, smiling at the sight of Rin fussing with a kettle, looking the part of a little woman with an apron tied on and her hair pulled back.

Kagome sat down with a heavy sigh, obviously exhausted.

"Say, Kagome, why don't you go to bed? What's keeping you from just resting?"

"Well, Rin is a good girl, but Shippo still may as well be three for the way he acts, and the puppy…well I never know what he might do next. I need to keep an eye on things."

"No problem. Go lie down, I'll watch over the brats and the living rug."

"Really? Thank you so much…I really do need a nap…"

……….

Sesshoumaru could hear Rin's lovely little laugh from a good distance aware, the puppy's yipping, the kitsune's annoying voice. The wind was drifting in the wrong direction to bring their scents to him from this distance, but that was of little matter. He enjoyed the sounds of their play, along with the calming birdsongs and the sound of the breeze drifting through the leaves in the forest he was walking along the edge of.

They were in the field where the Bone Eater's Well stood. He took in the picture presented to him with surprise and a sudden rush of emotion. Kagura sat with her back against the well, more beautiful, it seemed to him, than she had ever been before. Her hair was in his favorite style on her; draped over one shoulder, long and wavy, glinting in the sunlight. She had her head tilted back, leaning against the rim of the well, exposing her long, graceful white neck; a position which awakened in him a sort of raw, feral, instinctual need which he quickly pushed aside; and he could see that her crimson eyes were open, watching clouds go by above her. The fox kit sat in her lap, and she was idly stroking his head with one hand. Rin sat beside her making chains of daisies, and the puppy was chasing a butterfly around, barking occasionally in its high pitched little voice. It was a picture of utter happy contentment and tranquility; and he was filled with a sudden aching longing for this to be something he saw every day; but in another place, with a slightly different cast of characters. So easily, he could picture Kagura sitting on the stone bench beneath the blossoming cherry tree in the east garden of his home; surrounded by children; their children. His pups. Rin would be there too. He would even endure the presence of that black thing if it meant he could make that mental picture a reality. Shaking away the sentimental nonsense his mind had conjured up, he stepped from the trees into the field.

"Look, it's Sesshoumaru-sama! Hi, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Rin waved enthusiastically, but did not run to greet him as she used to. Again he realized with a bittersweet pang that she was beginning to grow up, if only a little. Kagura's gaze snapped rather abruptly from the sky to him, but though he could sense her surprise, she hid it well, smiling coyly and waving at him casually.

"Come join us, Sesshoumaru."

He eyed her suspiciously. There was a strange tone in her voice, and he felt as if she were scheming, plotting some mischief. Shippo had skittered around to the other side of the well and was watching Sesshoumaru rather nervously. He knew the Dai-youkai did not like foxes. The puppy ran over to claim the place Shippo had left, nuzzling its head into Kagura's lap, and Sesshoumaru felt a sudden ridiculous rush of jealously and annoyance. Their scents would be on her; the puppy's and the fox's. How dare they leave their scent on her? Forcing the nonsensical possessiveness aside, he approached her, watching the fluid movements of her beautiful body as she gracefully unfolded from the ground and approached him, cradling the puppy in her arms. It licked at her neck and she laughingly kissed its soft head, and again he was angered by its presence. She was _his_; how dare some mere animal; not a demon, not even a lowly human, get so close to her?!

As he fought his traitorous emotions and his inner demon growling; _my mate, my mate, my mate_;she moved to his side and glanced over at the children. Shippo was off on the other side of the field now, sniffing around, tracking a rat or something probably. Rin appeared totally absorbed in making daisy chains. So Kagura moved around in front of Sesshoumaru and leaned up to brush her lips over his. He was surprised by the gesture; after all, he had not seen her in three months. Still, he responded, breathing in her delicious scent as he lightly touched his tongue to her lips, asking entrance. She opened for him and let him explore her warmth for a few short, but blissful seconds before she pulled away, suddenly shoved the puppy into his arms, and jumped away from him.

He growled; at her, but more particularly at the creature she had deposited in his arms. It looked up at him and whimpered sweetly, submissively. Its hair had grown down all over its face and he suddenly felt the urge to laugh…_laugh?! _Heavens help him; he must have finally gone completely mad. But the little mutt looked downright funny, and just the fact that he, a great Dai-youkai…ironically of the Inu variety…was holding this ridiculous creature, was enough to bring a smile of pure amusement to his normally tight set lips. Still, despite that he found the little monster somehow amusing, when it licked his face he had a hard time resisting the urge to throw it across the field. Instead he set it down rather hurriedly and then glared at the black hairs it had left all over his white sleeves, before turning to narrow his eyes threateningly at Kagura, who went from snickering quietly to laughing out loud at the look on his face.

She approached him again, reaching to brush dog hair off his sleeves, and he was suddenly struck by how natural it felt, having her this close to him. Normally, he never got close to anyone, other than Rin, Jaken, and anyone he had intentions of killing with his claws. Kagura had always been an exception. He remembered, during her first life, always trying to get closer to her; close enough to separate her sweet scent from Naraku's. The closest he'd ever gotten, in his remembrance, was the day she'd led him to the Gateway between worlds. When she'd shown up on the cliff behind him, he'd gotten far closer to her than he ought to have, jumping up onto the cliff in such a way so that he had her within his reach, had he decided to reach for her. Later that day, in the cave leading to the Gate, she'd been close enough that their clothing brushed, before she moved away. It had taken everything in him not to snatch her into his embrace then, but he'd resisted. Now, he saw no cause to.

She shrieked at the suddenness of the way he grabbed her, but then laughed happily in the instant before he claimed her mouth.

……

Shippo stood next to Rin, his mouth hanging open and his eyes looking as if they were about to pop out of his head. Rin smiled hugely as she watched her master and the wind user. She may be a child, but she was still a female, and her woman's intuition was in full working order. She'd known there must be something between Sesshoumaru-sama and Kagura. Kagura had her hands tangled in Sesshoumaru's long hair, and he had one hand cupping her face, the other arm tightly wrapping her to him. They seemed melded together, like two pieces of a puzzle, perfectly fit. Rin couldn't help but feel her eyes go slightly wide, though. She'd seen plenty of kissing; Miroku and Sango, InuYasha and Kagome, and any number of various young villagers. But she'd never seen anybody kiss like that. Normally it was brief, light pecks on the lips. She wasn't quite sure _what _Kagura and Sesshoumaru-sama were doing, but it sure didn't look the same as anything she'd seen before.

The puppy ran in circles around them, and suddenly ran too close to Kagura's feet. She tripped on it and fell over backwards, dragging Sesshoumaru with her, the puppy yelping as it dashed out of the way. Kagura's pretty laugh filled the field, but when Sesshoumaru laughed as well, Rin's jaw joined Shippo's on the ground. Never before had she heard Sesshoumaru-sama laugh. His laugh was like his voice; rich and deep and smooth. He rose and helped Kagura to her feet, still smiling as she brushed grass off her kimono. Suddenly Kagura's eyes landed on the two gaping children, and she burst again into laughter. Sesshoumaru approached the well in a few long strides and snatched Shippo up by his tail, giving him his best death glare.

"Not one word to anyone, fox, or the tail will make a nice hat for Rin."

Shippo nodded, looking genuinely terrified, and Sesshoumaru dropped him, watching rather unsympathetically as the kitsune fell the several feet to the ground. Kagura sat down beside Rin again and wrapped a daisy chain around the little girl's head.

"You won't tell anyone anything either, will you Rin-chan?"

The girl shook her head solemnly, then suddenly wrapped her arms around Kagura and beamed up at her.

"Rin is very happy that Sesshoumaru-sama likes you, Kagura."

……..

InuYasha headed towards the meadow, his brows drawn low in worry as he walked, staring at the ground. He was frightened by Kagome's illness. Logically he knew she'd probably be alright, but something kept worrying him, as if there was something he was missing, some fact escaping his attention; it certainly wouldn't be the first time he'd failed to process something that might otherwise be obvious.

He'd come back to the house from Kaede's place to find Kagome fast asleep and a note telling him that Kagura had shown up and offered to look after the kids and the dog. He wasn't entirely sure he trusted Kagura enough to let her babysit, but then, she'd done her best to take care of Kohaku when he'd been Rin's age, so maybe it wasn't so bad.

He certainly wasn't expecting the scene he came upon. Sesshoumaru and Kagura were sitting on the edge of the well, so close their shoulders touched. Kagura had the puppy…_Baka_, he thought…in her lap, and Rin sat at their feet, picking flowers to put in the basket at her side. They looked like…like a family. InuYasha blinked, trying to decide what to make of it. Suddenly he felt something clutching his leg and glanced down into the eyes of an absolutely horrified looking Shippo, the hair on his head and the fur on his tail all standing on end.

"Shippo, what the heck happened to you? You look like you've just been visited by the ghost of Naraku."

Shippo just hugged InuYasha's leg tighter and shuddered visibly.

"Scarier than that…but I can't tell you, or Rin'll have my tail as a hat."

The hanyou's dark brows disappeared into his hair, and he eyed the fox as if the young youkai had gone completely mad.

"I'm not even going to ask what the heck you're babbling about." InuYasha easily leapt across the field to stand in front of Sesshoumaru. "Hey, Sesshoumaru, what are you doing back here so soon?"

Kagura shifted to that she hung into the well with her feet on the edge the only thing keeping her up. Sesshoumaru glanced down at her with a vaguely amused expression while InuYasha began to suspect there was something in the air making everyone act odd. Sesshoumaru spoke, not seeming troubled by his brother's presence.

"I caught the scent of a bear youkai in the area, and tracked it into the forest here. It was probably planning to attack the village, but I disposed of it, and being near here thought I might as well stop here for a time."

InuYasha shrugged, walked over to the well, and looked down at Kagura, who grinned up at him, looking ridiculously happy for no reason, as far as he could see, unless she was very impressed by her own ability to hang upside down by her feet.

"What about you, Kagura? What are you doing here?"

"I was bored. And you people are just so interesting…what could be more fun than living rugs and sick humans married to stupid hanyous?"

InuYasha growled at her, annoyed not so much at her insults towards him as the fact that she made light of Kagome's sickness.

"Shut up, Kagura! I don't need any of your stupid sarcasm!" A low growl sounded from InuYasha's side, and the hanyou turned to stare in puzzlement at his older brother. "What're you growling about?!"

Sesshoumaru just glared without response, thoroughly puzzling InuYasha.

The puppy, which had wisely scrambled from Kagura's lap when she tipped herself into the well, suddenly began jumping up InuYasha's legs, and he reluctantly picked it up, petting it until it settled. He was surprised to find it had Sesshoumaru's scent on it, as if the Dai-youkai had held it as well. The idea was laughable.

"Well, if you guys are taking care of the brats and the Baka here, I think I'll go sit with Kagome…See ya."

Sesshoumaru just nodded. As soon as InuYasha was out of sight, however, he turned and ran his claws lightly up the bottom of Kagura's foot, smiling as she squealed and fell to the bottom of the well, landing, as he had known she would, on her feet, and began shouting playful insults up at him.

Today, he decided, was a very good day.


	7. Chapter 7

InuYasha sat on the roof, looking up at the stars, worrying. Suddenly Kagome's sweet voice reached his ears. He had built a ladder so she could come up onto the roof with him on nights like this.

"InuYasha? Is something the matter?"

"Kagome! Shouldn't you be asleep? You're sick! You need to take care of yourself!"

She sat beside him and cuddled against his side. She smelled so good…He buried his face in her hair and breathed in her scent, loving her, worrying for her.

"InuYasha, I need to tell you something…Have you…Have you noticed anything different in my scent lately?"

He thought back, wondering why she'd ask him such a thing…Actually, he realized he _had _noticed his scent on her more…but they'd only been married three months, and only within that time had they been completely physically intimate. He'd assumed the change was merely caused by that new intimacy. Now that he thought about it, however, he realized that the scent _hadn't _changed right after their marriage, but a while after that…a month and a half? He wasn't sure…but now something was beginning to dawn on him…

"Kagome…are you…is it…I…"

She smiled and reached to brush her lips against his.

"I'm pregnant, InuYasha. We're going to have a baby…or a pup. You can choose which you want to call it."

For a moment he sat in silence, speechless. Then he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her soundly, laughing in pure relief and joy.

…..

"Sesshoumaru…How did…how did we get here? Why are we like this? It's not like either of us…"

Kagura sighed as he trailed kisses up her neck to her ear, whispering softly.

"It is best not to question the good things. We ought both to enjoy these moments…for they will likely as not be gone with the dawn."

She didn't like that rather negative outlook, but she couldn't help but to agree with him. They sat on the edge of the well again, looking at the beautiful starry sky. She smilingly reached to trace the moon on his forehead, looking up at the matching crescent in the sky.

Earlier, they'd both left the village, headed in different directions. Yet somehow they'd both ended up back here as night fell. It was as if they were drawn to each other, unable to resist the pull of the connection between them.

He was no longer hiding anything from her. He was no longer locked behind a pretense of coldness or even of dignity. Here, alone with Kagura, he was simply Sesshoumaru…not a lord, not a Dai-youkai…just a man…a man who, to both his horror and his joy, was falling in love with a very special woman. He stood and walked a few paces away from her; trying desperately to regain himself, to clear his head of the intoxication brought on by her scent, by her warmth, by her kiss.

"Sesshoumaru?"

He turned to draw her to her feet and into his arms, with her back to him, resting his chin on her head.

"Allow me a moment to think."

"Hmm."

Think he did…but not in the clear, organized, logical way he's intended to. Rather, his thoughts were a series of possible situations, mental images he longed to make into realities. He could see it so clearly, hear it so clearly; the kind of life they could have together. Gentle kisses and mating ceremonies. Silk sheets and soft moans. A baby's cries. Rin's bell-like laughter ringing through bright, rich, tapestry lined hallways. All of it centered around Kagura. Kagura as his mate. Kagura in his bed. Kagura bearing his children. Kagura taking the place of Rin's long deceased mother. _Kagura, Kagura, Kagura_. Her name had become synonymous with all the joy he _could _have, and yet would probably deny himself.

She turned to face him, looking up at him with a tiny, somehow sad smile that reminded him far too much of the day she had died. He wrapped his arms tighter around her, as if to ensure she stayed with him; as if to inform Death that she was _his, _and could not be removed from him without a fight, not this time.

"Kagura, is something upsetting you?"

She shook her head slowly. Her ruby eyes looked different in the moonlight…darker, more mysterious. Or perhaps sadder…

"I love you, Sesshoumaru. You know that, don't you? I have for a long time…since before I died. Even during those years, as the wind…even when I was an element rather than a person, I loved you. But…You are who you are, Sesshoumaru. I wouldn't think of asking you to change. I…I'm happy that you gave me a little time…a little time to see who you are inside…I'm happy you kissed me…happy you showed me some emotion. But…it's not in you to be tied to someone. You are a wanderer by nature. You'll only mate to preserve your line, no other cause. I know I have to let you go…You have to go your way, and I have to go mine. That's okay…Tonight, we'll stay here and stargaze…and tomorrow…the good things will be gone with the dawn."

Though everything in him cried out to deny it, to tell her he loved her, to _demand _if necessary, that she be his mate…

He remained silent.


	8. Chapter 8

**Four months later:**

Rin looked pale and frightened, sitting on the well kicking her feet. Kagura touched down and took in the young human with worry.

"What's the matter, Rin?"

Rin looked up with tears in her eyes.

"Something is wrong with me."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sick…maybe I'm even dying…But I can't tell Kagome, I don't want to make her sad…she's still sick…Granny Kaede is worried that something is wrong with her, and now something's wrong with me…I'm so scared!"

The girl suddenly burst into heart wrenching sobs. Kagura tried to sort out what she had said, and found herself worried about Kagome. Was something wrong with the baby? Had she miscarried? Or was her pregnancy caused illness simply dragging on longer than it ought to? Still, despite that she liked Kagome and hoped she and the baby were alright, it was Rin she felt the most affection for. She'd come to think of Rin almost as her own daughter…if things had been different, maybe she could have been, in a sense. The pain returned sharply, but Kagura brushed it aside. Now was not the time to be thinking of what could have been.

"Rin, kid, what's the matter with you? You look a little pale, but other than that just fine."

Rin was crying, softly now. She stood up and motioned downwards.

"See?! I'm dying, I just know it…"

Kagura took in the blood staining Rin's kimono and had to fight very hard against the urge to laugh. She didn't want to make the girl feel silly, but it was just so funny. She could well remember the first time her blood had come; she'd known it would happen, what with having been created a full grown woman with all the knowledge necessary to be one, but it had still surprised and rather frightened her. She could easily imagine how much worse it would be if one wasn't expecting it.

"Oh, Rin, hasn't anybody thought to explain this to you? Here, sit down, I'll tell you. First off, nothing's wrong with you…"

…..

Sesshoumaru caught scent of Rin's blood and internally panicked for a moment before he realized the difference. He'd been around enough women on their bleeding spells to know that there was a slightly different scent between blood from an injury and the natural flow of a woman's cycle. He smiled then, at the bittersweet reminder than Rin was becoming a woman…As far as he knew, this was the first time she'd bled. He ought to get her a gift, he decided, something to mark her entrance into womanhood.

As he got closer, he smelled the salt of her tears, and it occurred to him that perhaps in all the fuss about Kagome's pregnancy, no one had thought to warn the girl of the impending changes to her body. The idea that he might have to be the one to explain it to her was rather horrifying.

Then, Kagura's scent reached him.

Pain and joy and self-directed anger all surged through him instantly. What an idiot he had been, letting her go, four months ago. He could have told her he loved her, could have asked her to be his mate…but he had chosen instead to let her go, to remain the person everyone thought he was. He had wanted to track her down, to make amends and confess to her the truth; that he loved her with all his heart, that he had even before her death, that he wanted her for a mate…but he'd had no idea where to search for her and it was impossible to actually track her since she was usually flying, not leaving a trail of scent.

They were sitting on the well together; the only two people in the world he really loved. Kagura had wrapped one arm affectionately around the human girl, and was speaking in a low voice. He heard Rin laugh a little through her sniffling. Good. Kagura must have done the explaining and the comforting. He was struck by the strange way Kagura seemed to accept and care for Rin. Many demons thought it odd and even shameful that he had in essence adopted a human child. He understood their point of view perfectly; once, he would have, and often had, mocked any demon who cared in any way for a human. Then Rin had changed all that with her sweet heart, her adorable smile, her beautiful laugh, her sparkling eyes. Still, it was somewhat odd that Kagura, a full demon, seemed to love the girl. Especially seeing as how Kagura was normally somewhat rough and opinionated; seeing her comforting Rin, mothering her, was both an odd and touching sight.

Kagura stood and tugged Rin to her feet. Sesshoumaru watched with a little more interest than he would like to admit, even internally, as Kagura undid her outer kimono and took it off, then took off the blue kimono beneath it, wrapping it around Rin. He spotted the stain on Rin's clothing and understood that Kagura was giving her covering, probably to shield her from InuYasha's insensitivity…The hanyou wasn't such a moron as to mention the scent of blood, but he almost certainly would have pointed out a stain, the idiot. Sesshoumaru was suddenly shocked at how tall Rin had gotten. Kagura's kimono was barely too big for her lengthwise, though he could hear both females laughing quietly at the way it seemed to swallow Rin's still mostly shapeless form, as it had been designed with Kagura's beautifully curved body in mind. Kagura slipped her outermost kimono back on then, covering up the thin, tightly fitted green garment he had been rather enjoying. He decided that it was as good a time as any to make his presence known.

"Sesshoumaru…"

Kagura didn't seem surprised to see him…he supposed she'd sensed his aura. Rin smiled and waved at him, her tears dried and a strange happiness around her. He wondered if ought to mention anything about her bleeding, but decided not to, at least for the moment. Among his kind, a female's first bleeding was a special thing, often celebrated by her entire family. Among humans, however, it seemed to be something more embarrassing, so he decided to refrain from speaking of it. As he approached, he saw the sadness in Kagura's eyes and hated himself for it.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, you haven't come is so long!"

"There was a disturbance on the border of my territory…an oni family thought to live off killing humans in the area. It took a while to be rid of them all; their den was well hidden. I came to visit you as soon as they were dealt with, Rin."

Kagura was eyeing her bare feet as if they were of great interest. Sesshoumaru idly noted that they really were very pretty feet. He nearly rolled his eyes at the nonsense in his head. Kagura spoke up now, addressing Rin.

"You'd better go tell Kaede or Kagome what happened, Rin. They'll fix you up so you don't have any more problems."

Rin paled, no doubt suddenly recalling that she was still bleeding, and ran away quickly with a hasty goodbye. Kagura sighed and sat down on the well edge again, watching the girl leave. Sesshoumaru longed to sit down beside her and wrap an arm around her, but instead simply moved to stand nearby.

"Thank you for taking care of Rin, Kagura."

She shrugged, not meeting his eyes.

"No problem. Poor kid thought she was dying…Do you know what's up with Kagome? Rin said something about Kaede being worried about the pregnancy or something."

"I was last here some three months back. The hanyou's mate still seemed ill, but the pup's life was strong, as was hers. I do not know if anything has changed, but I'll be going into the village…would you care to accompany me?"

"Yeah, I think I will."

She moved to walk by him, and he was suddenly overwhelmed by the desire to hold her again. He reached for her, and then it was as if no time had passed, as if they had not been separated, as if he had not foolishly let her go. She showed no hesitation, no resistance; instead she responded with a passion to equal his as he insistently explored the heated cavern of her mouth.

"Sesshoumaru…that's enough."

He didn't let her go when she tried to pull away, and she glared at him, anger burning in her red eyes. He was surprised to find that her eyes were filled with tears, though there they stayed, as she fought valiantly to keep them from escaping down her cheeks.

"Let me go, Sesshoumaru. I won't let you have this power over me. I won't let you hurt me. Don't you think I've hurt enough? Don't you think I've been under someone's thumb enough? I understand that you can't love me, but at least let me be free! Don't keep making me want things that can never be!"

She turned from him with a rough, abrupt movement, wiping her eyes angrily. His inner beast was whimpering and growling; angry at himself and saddened by her pain. Everything in him demanded he comfort her, demanded he make his mate happy again. He resisted, watching as she walked to the edge of the field and leaned her back against a tree, crossed her arms over her chest, and regarded him coolly. Her tough girl front was back in place, he realized. It had been a long, long time since he'd seen her with that attitude so firmly in place: probably since before her death.

Suddenly he couldn't take it anymore; the howling in his brain, the pain in his heart. His logic was washed away on a tide of once hated emotions and he lunged at her in a blur of motion, letting the demon take him. It could say what he couldn't. He went from the well to where she stood and grabbed her into his arms in a mere second. She stared at him wide eyed as he kissed her roughly, dominatingly. He eased up when he tasted blood from a tiny scratch he'd caused with his fangs, pulling back from her and staring into her puzzled eyes.

He nuzzled into the side of her neck, kissing her softly, and then nipped at her earlobe, finally speaking in a rough, hoarse whisper.

"My mate."


	9. Chapter 9

_He nuzzled into the side of her neck, kissing her softly, and then nipped at her earlobe, finally speaking in a rough, hoarse whisper._

"_My mate." _

Kagura clasped her hands to her chest and spun around in circles, smiling. Rin laughed as she watched. She spun a few times too but quickly got dizzy and fell over, laughing, while Kagura just kept spinning and spinning. Abruptly, she ran into something large and hard and warm, and nearly fell over, but strong, clawed hands caught her and stood her upright, and sparkling ruby eyes met beautiful gold ones. She wanted to lean up and kiss him, but was too aware of the hanyou and his mate sitting across the way, so she stepped away with a little smile.

"Kagura," InuYasha called out, rudeness lacing his tone, as usual, "what's gotten into you? You're acting like a lovesick nutcase. Question is, what man would be stupid enough to tie himself to mean witch like you?"

Kagura could hear Sesshoumaru start to growl low in his throat, but she gave him a little grin and shook her head slightly before closing her eyes for a moment. The wind whisked up, and pulled all of InuYasha's hair so that it was standing straight up on his head. Kagura quickly whisked her fingers in the correct motions, and InuYasha's hair separated into three parts and was suddenly and expertly braided. Everyone except Sesshoumaru burst out laughing. While they were distracted by InuYasha's hilarious attempts to undo the braid, which only resulted in him tangling his hair hopelessly, Sesshoumaru moved behind Kagura and spoke to her in a low voice.

"He should not speak so to you. I will not allow anyone, including him, to insult my future mate."

"He doesn't know about us, Sesshoumaru, and besides, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. Anyway, he's not really being mean, he's just relieved that Kagome's finally gotten better, and he doesn't want to show just how worried he was, so he's acting tough."

He let the subject slide, brushing her lips with his quickly while the others were still looking away.

"That was an impressive display of power, Kagura. I had believed you needed your fan to manipulate wind, and I hadn't thought you capable of using the breeze in such an intricate way."

She noticed that the others had settled down and might conceivably glance towards them at any moment, so she stepped away from him a bit, but continued the conversation.

"I didn't use to be able to do things like that. But the Wind and I…we were one, one being, one element, for three years. Even though I'm just a Kaze-Youkai again now, I still have a deep connection with the Wind…as if, before, it was my servant, harnessed by my fan; as if maybe it resented me, as I resented Naraku. Now, though, it's as if we are the best of friends, the Wind and I, and it comes to my aid in different ways than it once did. My fan is only for converting it into blades and such now. Everything else I can do with my fingers."

"Interesting."

"Hey, Sesshoumaru, would you come check the baby's life force again?"

Sesshoumaru glanced at Kagura and rolled his eyes, making her laugh. But he went across the field anyway. It had been two weeks since the day he had finally told her how he felt; in his rough, feral, demon-driven way. Since then, Kagome's illness had finally cleared up. She was almost six months into her pregnancy, and everything seemed to be going well now. InuYasha, however, seemed incredibly worried about the whole thing, though he wouldn't actually admit it. Still, whenever Sesshoumaru was around, he was constantly asked to monitor the field of the baby's life force. InuYasha's lesser senses and power didn't allow him such easy knowledge of whether or not the unborn pup was in a good state. Kagura knew that Sesshoumaru, despite his pretended annoyance, actually enjoyed simply sitting next to Kagome and listening to the tiny heartbeat.

Everyone had noticed that both Kagura and Sesshoumaru had been hanging around the village; Kagura staying with Kagome and InuYasha while Sesshoumaru spent his nights who-knew-where, and Kagura thought it likely that Kagome, Sango, Kaede, and maybe even Miroku had all figured out what was going on. InuYasha, in fact, may be the only one left who was completely clueless. But that was nothing new.

Every night for the last two weeks, they'd been coming here together; mostly to talk, more than anything. Not that there weren't moments of passion and longing; never satisfied, as they had decided to wait until they were officially mates to consummate their relationship. She had learned more about him in those two weeks than she had ever thought she'd have the privilege of knowing. He'd actually found it necessary to warn her, so she wouldn't be overly shocked by his openness. She could remember the first night so well.

_He took her hand and touched her chin with two fingers, tipping her face up so she looked him in the eye. _

"_Kagura, you must understand something. Nothing is hidden from mates, at least those mates who choose each other. Anything you ask, I will answer truthfully. I will tell you everything I believe to be important about myself; everything that has made me who I am, even if you do not think to ask it. You may be startled by this…It is not normally in my nature to speak so openly. But mates must be equals. And so, you must speak in complete honesty to me, as I do to you."_

He'd talked then, more than she'd ever heard him do before. He'd begun with the more recent occurrences; things which had shaped his life within the time they had known each other and during her time as an element. He spoke of his determination to avenge her, of the fighting Tenseiga and how his quest to strengthen it had led him to Hell and back, of Rin's death and his pain at believing he had lost her. During the course of this tale, she'd found herself rather shocked by one thing.

"_You have a _mother_?!"_

_Amusement glinted in his eyes._

"_Naturally. Did you think I sprung from the ground or fell from the sky?"_

"_Oh, you! I just…I assumed she had died, I suppose."_

"_No, Mother is alive and kicking…rather strongly, actually."_

"_Well, what's she like? She brought Rin back to life, right? So she must be a rather pleasant person, I should think."_

"_Pleasant? Not hardly. She cares for me, I suppose. She's a strong woman, rather vain, independent and temperamental. Her mating to my father was arranged, not unlike the political marriages among the humans. Such matings are basically falsified. When a couple chooses to mate, they bind their souls together, and only death can separate them; at times not even that. When a couple is forced to mate, their souls do not bind; it is more as a human marriage; adulteries are common, and if one dies, the other is often more joyful than pained. Mother did not hate Father, but she certainly did not love him. Father appreciated Mother's beauty; he desired her. However, she only allowed him into her bed once; during her heat, so as to conceive the heir; myself. _

_Mother remained with Father for nearly two human centuries, never again allowing him to her bed. I know Father had many lovers, and I suspect my mother did as well, though she was much more subtle and had much better taste. Father would take nearly any female, human or youkai, into his bed. Mother chose strong youkai, few and far between, and was always careful not to allow herself to conceive. As for Father; I have always found it hard to believe that InuYasha is the only one I share half-blood with. _

_Nevertheless, I had and to a degree still have a great respect for Father; he was a very powerful Dai-youkai, and a fine warrior, and in many ways a very wise man. As I grew and matured from a pup to a full grown youkai, I found that the only true fault I could see in my father was his weakness when it came to women. And so it became the one fault I was determined not to repeat. Nor have I: I have always been convinced that I will find a mate I can bond my soul with, truly. My dalliances with women have been few and far between. Often a human generation, or even longer, will pass between one and the next. And never have I lain with a human. Only in recent years have I come to understand that humans are not all worthy of spite. Yet even now I remain convinced that no particular good can come from mixing the two races. Youkai and humans are completely different creatures. Still, I have learned that in cases where a child does occur, there is no need to judge the offspring, nor even the parents…Some are swept away on tides of emotion…I have begun to understand how that feels." _

_He'd leaned to kiss Kagura then, before continuing. _

"_As I was saying, Mother and Father remained in a far from perfect semblance of togetherness for nearly two human centuries. After that time, my grandfather, Mother's father, died, and left behind the palace that Mother had spent her youth in. Mother took the opportunity to finally be free of Father. She gave me the choice to move into the palace with her, but I preferred to stay and let Father train me as a warrior, despite that I was rather disgusted by the seemingly constant flow of women in and out of our home. _

_Some three hundred more years passed then. It was then that Father finally met a woman he truly loved. I hated Izayoi simply because she was human. But looking back, without the veil of that prejudice, I see how much she changed my father for the better. To my knowledge, once he met Izayoi, he never had another woman in his bed. Nevertheless, when he wed her in the human tradition and she came with child, I was thoroughly sickened by the whole thing, and moved to my mother's palace. From there, she and I watched with a certain disdain. After that, I met my father only once more; the night of his death. _

_Time passed, and I was only vaguely aware of my younger half-brother, though I hated being tied to such a creature. I left my mother's home eventually to wander the borders of my father's great territory, ensuring no others dared to try to take what belongs to my clan. I had Father's palace ripped down and rebuilt; for I do not wish to always live in the shadow of my father's memory. I have surpassed him, and I now will build my own territories. Without his influence." _

Kagura sighed. She was suddenly aware of Rin standing at her side.

"Hey kid. What's up?"

"Kagura," The human girl was whispering, no doubt to avoid being heard by InuYasha. "are you going to be Sesshoumaru-sama's mate?"

Kagura glanced across the field and found Sesshoumaru staring at her from where he stood leaning against a tree next to where Kagome sat. InuYasha was wholly absorbed in feeling the tiny movements of his pup beneath his hands. But Kagura knew that her future mate had caught ear of Rin's question, and she tilted her head, silently asking how she should respond. He just nodded. She saw Kagome following the interaction and knew she'd probably be tormented by questions later. For the moment, however, she turned back to the young girl.

"Yes, Rin. But don't say anything around InuYasha, okay?"

Rin nodded, a huge grin spreading across her pretty face. She hugged the wind sorceress tightly.

"You'll be kinda like my mother then, won't you, Kagura?"

"I guess so kid, though technically you're older than me, I suppose."

"I don't mind! You'll be lots of fun…do you think…do you think Sesshoumaru-sama would let me come with you?"

"I don't know. It's all up sort of up in the air right now. There's a lot to figure out."

Kagura moved across the field, feeling cold and empty at being even this small distance from Sesshoumaru. Rin followed along. Sango entered the field as she was walking, all three children in tow; Miroku was out exorcising a demon in some nearby village.

"Look at this!" Kagome exclaimed. "Almost everybody's here. Rin, Shippo, the twins, the baby, Jaken, Sesshoumaru, Kagura, Sango, and InuYasha and our baby and I. Now if only Miroku would hurry back and Kaede'd come out here, we'd have the whole group of us together. Except Kohaku, and Totosai and Myouga, of course, but they're all quite content holed up at Totosai's place. Especially now that Kohaku's built a replacement roof."

Kagome shot Sesshoumaru a teasing look. He glared at her but couldn't keep a twinkle from entering his eye. In the end, he was glad he'd missed Totosai when he'd tried to kill him with the Meidou in an uncharacteristic moment of anger. But he was also glad he'd at _least _done the old man's house some damage.

"It's too bad Kikyo couldn't see this; that we beat Naraku in the end. That we're all happy."

InuYasha's eyes were sad as he spoke, but not the way they had once been. Kagome hugged him. Any jealousy she'd once felt towards Kikyo was long gone; washed away by the truth of her husband's love for her.

"I think she knows we got him."

Kagura stood as close as possible to Sesshoumaru without attracting undue suspicion. As they watched the twins tumble around with Rin and Shippo, Jaken yelling at them to behave, Kagura felt a longing move over her; a strangely intense longing. A longing to have children of her own to watch play…As if reading her thoughts, Sesshoumaru leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"Someday, Wind User Kagura, you will bear my children."

She smiled at him and resisted the urge to throw herself into his arms.

Kagome's eyes never left them.


	10. Chapter 10

"Kagura, it's time to 'fess up!"

Kagura was staring into a cup of tea and considering how she really preferred sake. She glanced up, silent inquiry in her thin, raised brows. Sango attacked next.

"Don't play innocent! Start talking! Since you've been back, you're part of our little group. But that means girl talk."

Kagome jumped in next.

"Which means everybody has to be up to date on everyone else's romantic interests! Sango and I are both married, so we haven't had any new romances lately! Though we've found…" Kagome giggled. "_other_ things to talk about. Still, we need a new romance to blab about!"

"And you're going to be the one to provide us with one!"

Rin was sitting in a corner looking unsure whether she should be worried or laughing. Kagura waved in her direction.

"What about Rin? She's a pretty kid. Surely she had some prospective romances to tell you about? Some handsome village boy poised to take her heart?"

Rin blushed a charming shade of pink, and Kagome laughed.

"True, she _has _gotten rather popular with the boys. But winning over a flock of village boys is nothing compared to what we suspect you've done. Do tell us, Kagura, how did you manage to melt the Great Glacier of the West?"

Kagura sighed.

"I don't suppose you have any sake?"

"No, InuYasha can't stand it and I don't want to drink it while pregnant."

"I have some at my place. Miroku loves sake too much for his own good. I might be persuaded to get it if I thought it'd loosen your tongue a little, Kagura."

Kagura stared at her tea again and groaned.

"When I died, you two were such kind, sentimental girls. Now you're a couple of evil witches, I swear. Still, I hate tea…Oh alright, bring me sake, Sango, and I just might talk."

Sango laughed and headed out the door. Kagome excused herself to use the necessary, and Kagura turned to her fellow conspirator with laughter in her eyes.

"C'mon, Rin, let's escape while they're gone!"

Rin giggled and the two ran out the door together, laughing. They headed to what was lately everyone's favorite place to be; the meadow of the Bone Eater's Well. Suddenly a ball of light formed two feet in front of Kagura, and she skidded directly into Sesshoumaru's arms. Seeing that Rin was the only one with her, he wrapped his arms around her and smiled at Rin.

"Where are you two headed in such a rush?"

"Anywhere Kagome and Sango _aren't_! They're determined to find out what's going on between us."

Sesshoumaru sighed and brushed her lips with his.

"I think you should tell them next time they ask. We have to let everyone know eventually. May as well be sooner rather than later."

Rin spoke up, her smile huge, for she loved seeing the affection between Sesshoumaru-sama and Kagura.

"I could tell them, Sesshoumaru-sama. I could tell Kagome, and she would tell InuYasha, and threaten to make him sit if he said anything rude or made jokes about it."

"Actually, that's a rather good idea, Rin. We wouldn't want Sesshoumaru getting upset and killing InuYasha, now would we?"

Sesshoumaru glared at his mate-to-be, but the humor in her eyes overcame his pretense of annoyance, and he drew her in for a kiss.

......

"Sesshoumaru?"

"Yes?"

"Will I meet your mother?"

Sesshoumaru was lying on his back on a blanket, staring up at the stars. Kagura lay beside him, resting her head on his chest, enjoying the texture of his silk clothing; his armor tossed to one side.

"I suppose you will…I think she'll like you, actually. You're not unlike her in many ways. She'll be pleased that I chose a demon to mate. I believe she was rather afraid I might wait 'til Rin was grown and then mate her."

Kagura rolled over and shifted so that she lay half across him, and he closed his eyes as her breasts pressed against his chest.

"Sesshoumaru…you said we'll have children, right?"

Her scent clouded his mind. He loved it.

"Certainly. Quite a few, if I have anything to say about it. Our line has dwindled too much. So the more children we have, the better."

"Does it make any difference that I'm not an InuYoukai? Our children won't be pure Inu, like you are…"

"It makes little difference. It might cause problems if you were a different breed of animal youkai; a cat or a horse, for example. As it is, however, our children will likely inherit some power from both of us. Most of them will probably still have an Inu form, as I do. There will be no shame on the family name for my marrying a Kaze-Youkai."

"That's good. I want to have your children, Sesshoumaru."

He rolled them over and kissed her almost desperately, loving the feeling of her body against his; a pleasure he was normally denied by the presence of his armor. She was so soft in all the right places, so warm. She smelled so good. He could smell her desire. She sometimes seemed to be a bundle of tightly wrapped pheromones. It had a strong affect on any male animal demon within her presence; he'd even caught InuYasha staring at her with lust-glazed eyes from time to time, though the hanyou was always quick to shake the instinctual reaction off. Sesshoumaru had a harder time doing so. She was _his _mate. He had a right to her body. But he pulled himself away from her sweet mouth when the temptation became too strong. No matter how beautiful the stars were, no matter how sweet the scent of the grass and flowers was, he had no intention of taking her for the first time on the hard ground so near to a human village. No. Their first time would be at his mansion, in his chambers, with fine silk sheets and a soft mattress. He smiled at the thought as he sat up and pulled her into his arms. A sudden, disturbing thought occurred to him.

"Kagura, did Naraku ever touch you? Take you against you will?"

She paled at the thought, but scoffed quietly.

"Heck no, thank Kami. There were times I feared he would, but he had no interest in me. I was beneath him, or some nonsense like that. No, I was his soldier, and occasionally a maid. That's it."

"Good." He kissed her neck softly. "What would you like me to speak of tonight?"

"I don't want to talk tonight."

He ended up on his back again, her light, soft body melded to his as she kissed him. Suddenly she rolled herself into the length of his fur and cuddled against him, laughing.

"Here's something I've always wondered: is this part of your body?"

"Yes. It is a part of my true form. I can retract it completely, so that my body is completely in human form. But normally I leave it out; it is a sign of my race and my status, neither of which I have any cause to hide."

"I think I get it. It shows how big your true form is, doesn't it? I've seen other animal demons with parts of their true forms left; like Kouga's goofy little tail. Does that mean that you can measure the size of the true form by how large the remaining piece is?"

"Basically, yes. The wolf's tail would be the size of a normal wolf's, no doubt, because his truest form is just an average wolf. This fur, however, isn't at its largest. It can get larger, but to allow it to do so would hamper my movement. Someday, when we have the time and the space, I will show you my truest form."

Her nails traced lightly over the stripes on his face. Then she lifted his hands, intertwined his fingers with hers, and examined the markings on his wrists.

"Do you have these markings anywhere else?"

"One on each hip. Those are artificial, though."

"What do you mean?"

"My father had the stripes on my hips marked into my skin when I was a child; it is common practice to add to birth markings. When I shift into my Inu form, the hip markings don't show, because they're not really a part of my true form."

"Oh, I see."

He tried not to shiver as she kissed each of the markings on his face. When she ran her tongue up the stripes on his wrists, he growled lightly and flipped her over again.

"Do not tempt me, Kagura. There will be a time for such things. Not yet."

She laughed, pressing her open mouth to his, kissing him deeply and intensely. He felt his eyes going red, and growled at her, his brain fighting a losing battle against his body. She pulled away to catch her breath, and suddenly stood up. At this point he wanted nothing more than to demand she return to him. She smiled at him.

"You're right. Not yet."

He rose up, letting the cool night air calm him, and wrapped his arms around her, turning his eyes back to the stars, breathing in deeply the of the fresh air and the sweet scent of the woman in his arms.

……

Rin was cross legged on the floor, embroidering. Kagome eyed her suspiciously.

"Where's Kagura today? I haven't seen her since you two ran out on us yesterday."

Rin bit her lip. She knew what she was supposed to do, but even with permission, it still seemed like spilling a secret.

"She and Sesshoumaru-sama left this morning."

"Oh…they left? Wait, you don't mean…they went somewhere _together_?!"

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama wants to introduce Kagura to his mother and see if she'll give her blessing to their mating."

Kagome stared at her blankly, her mind refusing to register what she'd just been told.

"Wh-what did you say?!"

"Sesshoumaru-sama wants his mother to meet Kagura before they mate."

There was another long moment of silence, and then Kagome actually shrieked before running out the door and across the road to Sango and Miroku's house.

"Sango! Come here! I need you to listen to what Rin's saying and tell me if I've gone crazy or if she's actually saying what I think she's saying!!!"

Sango, laughing at Kagome's mild hysteria, followed her friend back to the house, where Rin was still embroidering with an indifferent expression that would have made Sesshoumaru proud.

"So, what have you done to Kagome, Rin? What did you say that made her all excited and crazed like that?"

"I just said that Sesshoumaru-sama took Kagura to meet his mother and tell her that they're going to be mated."

Sango sat down quickly, and she and Kagome stared at each other with wide eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I wasn't actually planning to write anything with Sesshoumaru's mother in it, I don't really have any clue about how to write her, but a couple of people mentioned in reviews that they wanted to read the meeting, so I wrote just a quick little thing….not very good at all, but oh well…**

**Thanks to everyone for the awesome reviews! :D**

Kagura was chewing her nails. Sesshoumaru found it both irritating and somehow endearing. He reached to take her hand, squeezing gently as he touched her neck with his lips, trying either to reassure her or distract her; he wasn't quite sure which.

"Mother is proud and perhaps slightly eccentric, but you needn't be so nervous, Kagura. You have no need to feel insecure, for even if Mother doesn't approve, it will not change anything. You are my mate, and mates take precedence even over family. If she dared try to make me choose between you, I would choose you in a heartbeat, and she knows that. She will respect my choice. Hopefully, however, there will be no choice to begin with."

Kagura nodded, but she still looked jittery, and kept squeezing his hand nervously. He took in her appearance with a certain pleasure. She'd been ready to ornament herself ridiculously in an attempt to impress his mother, but he'd insisted she not go too far, and instead had chosen what she should wear himself. Her first garment was plain white, followed by a blue floral pattern kimono, and her uppermost kimono was dark crimson with thin white line designs tracing over it in places. Her earrings were the same design as those she usually wore, but were made from adamant shards….diamond, the miko called it, a word he found somehow more appealing and fitting for the beautiful stone…and she had a bracelet of gold set with the same stones, as well. Her hair was tied up as she'd commonly worn it during her first life, but her feathers had been left tightly locked in a box in InuYasha's house, and instead her hair was ornamented by two tiny but exquisite pearl combs. The pink shade of paint she usually wore on her eyelids had been replaced with a slightly darker, redder shade, but other than that and her customary paint upon her lips, he'd insisted she not alter her face.

"_Kagura," He'd said as she fretted over the lack of ornamentation in the outfit he had chosen. "if you make yourself into a fake; a painted, finely clothed doll, Mother will see right through you and think less of you for hiding your true self. Go as you are; nicely dressed but still looking yourself, and she will be pleased with your honesty, and drawn to _you_, as I am. It is Kagura; fiery and independent and yet soft and sweet, who I will mate; not some perfectly mannered and clothed, but completely fake, court lady. And it is Kagura; fiery and independent and yet soft and sweet, who my mother can not help but be drawn to."_

Sesshoumaru let the cloud they'd been riding on dissipate in the meadow below his mother's palace and smiled at Kagura.

"Mother and I have a tradition. We always greet each other in our true forms…We find it hard to express any kind of affection otherwise. Watch, if you'd like."

Kagura watched him as he leapt into the sky, morphing even as he did so. She had expected him to be large; but the size of the huge white dog leaping through the sky stunned her. He was gigantic. He was frightening and beautiful and exotic, and she watched him wide-eyed as he suddenly turned his head up to the heavens and howled, a long, somehow melodious sound, like a song in a canine language. Suddenly another, slightly smaller InuYoukai, with longer ears and less abundant fur, bounded towards him, and the two circled each other several times, rubbing their heads together in what appeared to be a gesture of affection or greeting. Then they became blurs of light, swirling around each other towards the ground at startling speeds, and suddenly there stood Sesshoumaru, his humanoid form regained, a beautiful woman standing before him.

Kagura took in the other woman with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation. Her silver hair was pulled into four separate parts; two tails behind her head and two parts resting forward over her shoulders. She was clothed in her fur and a heavy, rich silver-white robe trimmed with dark blue butterflies at the edges. She had a magenta stripe down each cheek; but they had a sort of rippling design, unlike Sesshoumaru's perfectly curved lines.

"Sesshoumaru, you've come to see me again? Twice within five human years? The world must surely be ending!" As the InuYoukai woman's eyes landed on her, Kagura noted that they were a cold but sparkling light blue rather than the amber shade shared by Sesshoumaru and InuYasha. Kagura forced her fear aside and met the other woman's eyes; not confrontationally, but confidently. She wasn't sure if the tiny smile that invoked was a good sign or not. "What's this? Those human children are gone…Don't tell me you decided to eat them after all, when I went to all the trouble of bringing the little one back for you?"

"Mother, will you never find another way to amuse yourself? Eating human children would be distasteful, not to mention unsatisfying." He was obviously amused, and Kagura smiled slightly at the apparently running joke between mother and son, before Sesshoumaru continued. "I've come to speak to you about something important."

Ignoring her son, the lady addressed Kagura.

"Come here, girl."

Kagura approached gracefully, stopping a couple of feet before the older woman, feeling slightly amused at being called girl.

"Hmm….A Kaze-Youkai, yes? Young…very young…a child even by human years, but a woman in body, mind, and heart. You have a strong bond with the Wind…stronger than a normal Kaze Youkai would…You are not just a Kaze Youkai, are you? You _are _Kaze. Turn around."

Kagura turned around slowly, meeting Sesshoumaru's vaguely amused eyes half way round before facing the older woman again.

"You're beautiful. Strong willed. Independent. And _Kaze_. An embodiment of an element itself. That's a very strong kind of youkai, and very rare. You're more than suitable. Alright, Sesshoumaru, you have my blessing. Now, would you care to come up to the palace? You may as well let me get to know the girl who will bear my grandchildren."

Kagura stood staring, stunned, as the lady formed a cloud around her feet. Was that _it_?! Sesshoumaru had a cloud forming beneath him as well and she was about to step on with him when his mother's voice halted her.

"Ride up with me, would you girl? Don't worry, I won't insult you behind Sesshoumaru's back; even if I wanted to, I know his hearing's too good."

Kagura caught Sesshoumaru's eyes and he nodded slightly. She stepped onto the cloud with his mother.

The interrogation began almost immediately.

"So then, what's your name?"

"Kagura."

"Who were your parents? I'm assuming they're dead or they'd be the ones arranging things with me."

"I didn't have parents, not really. I was created by Sesshoumaru's hanyou enemy, Naraku."

"Ah, now there's a lovely twist! The daughter of his enemy...beautiful!"

Kagura was somewhat surprised by that reaction.

"You are not angry about that? True, I'm a full demon, but my creator was a coward, a weakling, and a hanyou. You…don't mind that?"

"Ha! Hardly. As long as you're fully youkai, I couldn't care less. Besides, it's a sweet sort of revenge. Breeding an enemy's bloodlines into our own, that is. Naraku's grandchildren will belong to Sesshoumaru. Thus the enemy is conquered in every way; even their bloodline taken over by ours."

"As much as I hate to mention it, wouldn't it be better revenge to kill off the enemy's bloodline?"

"No, that's too simplistic and brutal. Instead, your children will live and hate your 'father', as I suspect you hated him. He will not find rest even in death, for there will be generations of his own kin left bitter against him."

Kagura found herself strangely delighted by her future mate's mother. Normally, such a view would seem overly harsh. But in Naraku's case, in Kagura's mind, nothing could be too harsh. She met Sesshoumaru's eyes from where he was sitting cross legged on his own cloud watching them. He smiled slightly, wryly, and shrugged, apparently amused by his mother.

"Truly, I'm pleased at Sesshoumaru's choice. I was afraid he would take that little human thing to mate and ruin our line forever. She was a rather endearing creature…an amusing pet, I'm sure, but hardly worthy of breeding with."

Sesshoumaru spoke from where he sat.

"Really, Mother, I understand your feelings on the matter, but Rin is _not _a pet. Could you not at the very least see her as an adopted grandchild, considering that in that capacity she is no threat the purity of our line?"

"Oh, I_ suppose _so, if it will please you, my son. As long as that is all she is, and as long as you provide me with some true, pure grandchildren soon. I'm very glad you chose an elemental youkai, Sesshoumaru. Heavens save us all if you'd picked another animal. Inu Kaze Youkai is a purely acceptable breed. Imagine the monsters that would be created if you mated with a cat!"

Kagura found that her nervousness had disappeared at some point, and spoke up.

"Has that ever been done?"

"Yes, actually…one of the Black InuYoukai on the continent mated with a cat demon…and though I wish them no ill, I think most of us were relieved that she never carried a litter to term."

"A litter?"

"Yes, animal demons, especially cats and dogs, frequently have two or more children at once." She noted Kagura's slightly wide eyes and smiled. "No need to worry, girl, you'll have twins at the most. The only common way in which to have more is if both male and female are animals, and they breed while in their true forms, after which the mother must stay in her true form her entire pregnancy, otherwise the litter will be killed in the transformation. More commonly we choose to conceive in our human forms and so only bear one or two children, like I myself did. You do not have an animal form, so there won't be any litters for you, which I'm sure comes as a relief."

Kagura nodded emphatically, laughing.

Eventually, they came to the palace; a stunning, beautiful castle so high up that clouds surrounded it, built on top of a mountain that seemed to have had the entire peak chopped off to make way for it.

There, they spent several hours of discussion as Sesshoumaru's mother taught Kagura the most important things she would need to know to be his mate, and by the time they left, Kagura's fear had been replaced by admiration and a purely delightful sensation of being accepted, just as she was.


	12. Chapter 12

Kagura peered down through the cloud and watched the scenery go by far below.

"You know, this is a lot scarier than my feather. I can't see through the bottom of that."

Sesshoumaru sat beside her, one leg drawn up, arms crossed over his knee.

"It's perfectly safe."

She opened the velvet case in her lap again and smiled at the beautiful necklace and earring set inside; gold and rubies. Beautiful, shining gold, like Sesshoumaru's eyes. Sparkling, startling red rubies, like her own eyes. Her future mate-mother certainly seemed to like her.

"She's not merely being polite, you know. She's the type of woman who will never hesitate to tell you if she dislikes you. The fact that she gave you those is a sure sign of her approval."

"I'm glad…I was afraid she wouldn't give her blessing."

"It would not make any difference. If Mother approves, all the better. If she hadn't, however, it would not have changed our plans. Mother knows she can't manipulate me to her will, and she would have grown to accept you with time. Still, I'm thankful we do not have to deal with that scenario."

"Mmm-hmm. Say, I don't suppose you have any use for a lot of money?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I didn't think anything like this could ever happen…you and me, I mean. So…I started storing up money. Hid it all in one of Naraku's old hideouts. It's still there as far as I know."

"Where did you get money, Kagura?"

"Well, mostly I tricked people into giving it to me, or just plain stole it."

"Wonderful. Rin used to steal food, and now my future mate turns out to be a common thief. It would seem my standards for companions have gotten disturbingly low."

She could see the teasing in his eyes, so she didn't take him seriously. Still, she glared at him playfully for a moment, and he leaned over to kiss her briefly.

"May as well keep the money. I'll send someone to take it all to the estate, if you like. As Mother would say 'It befits a woman to have her own wealth to draw from, mated or not.'"

"I find myself liking your mother more and more."

Kagura moved over, lay on her stomach, and leaned far over the edge of the cloud, looking down. She felt Sesshoumaru wrap his hand around one of her ankles and enjoyed the touch as he traced his claws over her heel. She knew from the strength of his grip that he was worried she'd fall off, but trying to hide it behind playful touches. She smiled at his care for her. She reached up and undid her bun, tucking the two pearl combs into her clothing, letting her hair blow loose. It had gotten a little longer recently, and she loved the feeling of the wind rushing through it. Suddenly, in a movement so quick she couldn't quite comprehend it, she was in Sesshoumaru's arms, his mouth on hers. His long fingers dove into her hair, and she sighed at the sensation of his claws touching lightly over her scalp.

"I love your hair down, Kagura. You shouldn't wear it up so often."

She ran her own fingers through his silky silver bangs, shrugging.

"It keeps it out of my way. When you work in close contact with the Wind, you tend to get your hair blown around a lot. Fine on a nice day like this, not so great if you can't see who you're attacking."

"You will not be attacking anyone anymore if I have anything to say about it. You no longer need to fight to survive."

She felt a strange joy fill her. She hadn't realized just how hard it was on her; being alone. She had thought her only problem was Naraku. Now she realized that much of her pain was caused not only by Naraku, but by the fact that he was her only real companion, along with her siblings; and she hated him and was indifferent to his other offspring. She had had to fight for herself, often purposefully sent to places where Naraku knew she was likely to be harmed. Now, she had Sesshoumaru. Lover, friend, and protector, all wrapped into one. It was a wonderful feeling.

Sesshoumaru guided the cloud into the Well meadow, letting it dissipate a couple of feet from the ground and catching her in his arms as he landed lightly.

"I must leave, Kagura. If we're to be mated, I'll need to see that the estate is in good order, and have preparations made for mating ceremonies and the like. Send Jaken here, would you? I'll need him to come with me. If all goes well, I'll be back before the miko's pup is birthed, if not earlier. Stay in the village. I don't want you wondering about getting yourself into fights or stealing. You are my mate now; you must remain safe until I can begin care of you properly."

"Do you…have to go? Couldn't I come with you?"

He touched his nose to the hollow of her throat, smiling against her skin as he breathed in the scent of her and savored the sound of her heartbeat speeding up.

"Will you miss me, Kagura?"

Her fingers threaded into her hair, and he felt her lips on his head.

"You have no idea how much."

He moved up to kiss her, savoring the taste of her for what he thought might perhaps be the last time for the next couple of months. There was wildness in this kiss; a raw passion and lust that made him long for nothing more than to whisk her away to the nearest private place where he could take her. He wanted her there and then, yet he forced himself away, tucking loose strands of her raven hair behind her pointed ears and kissing the corners of her smiling mouth briefly before he hugged her tightly and spoke in a hushed, hoarse whisper.

"I love you, Kagura. More than words can say."

She pulled away, to arm's length, and looked up at him with wide, excited eyes. True; he'd asked her to become his mate…or perhaps demanded it. He'd been more open with her than with anyone else, ever. He'd taken every opportunity to show affection for her. Yet he'd seen a certain dissatisfaction in her eyes; a quiet longing for something more. And he'd recalled InuYasha griping and whining that no matter how much he _showed _his love, Kagome was never completely happy unless he _spoke _it. Kagome, he suspected, was more vocal about her complaints. Kagura had been rather argumentative and sometimes downright rude in her first life. Since her resurrection, however, she was much softer; and he had the feeling that this had been her true heart the whole time. She had never mentioned wanting words of love; never spoken of feeling anything missing. It had simply lingered quietly in her eyes. Yet he'd figured it out himself, and from the delight in her eyes, it would seem that this declaration was indeed what she had been secretly wanting.

"Sesshoumaru…"

She threw herself back into his arms, the motion propelling him into a spin, and he went with it, wrapping his arms tightly around her and twirling about, plundering the sweet depths of her mouth once more.

"Sesshoumaru, I love you so much." She pulled away slightly and he was startled by the tears in her eyes. He wasn't sure whether they were tears of joy or tears of sorrow at his impending departure, or perhaps a mixture of both. "I'll miss you, Sesshoumaru. But I'll be waiting. I'll be here when you get back."

He sensed a strange doubt in her, as if perhaps she feared that he wouldn't come back. Reaching down, he undid Tenseiga's hilt from his side and handed the Sword of Life to her.

"Keep that, to remind you I will return. For it, and much more importantly, for _you_, mate. Even should I be delayed, even should you begin to doubt; I will come back for you."

She smiled at him weakly, seeming pleased, amused, and somehow frightened.

"Why do I feel like I'm sending you off to battle with the fear that you may never return? We've gone months without seeing each other before. Why do I feel so much more fearful and alone this time?"

"Because, mate, our souls have begun to bind. It is no omen of bad luck; nothing to fear. Rather, it is a blessing; that our spirits should intertwine in such a way that even the thought of being separate for any extended length of time causes feelings of loneliness and fear. Normally, that process does not begin until a couple has physically mated. It is a sign of great love, this emptiness at the thought of being separate. Don't let it make you fearful; I will be back, Kagura. I gave you Tenseiga merely as assurance; for one can never know what problems and delays may arise. But do not be afraid. Now, go and fetch Jaken for me, would you? No doubt he'll have heard the news from Rin by now…if he is rude to you, don't hesitate to hit him."

As had been his intention, she laughed, and kissed him once more, briefly, before she turned and walked away. His heart ached, but he refused to allow it to show. It was only a few months at most. Then, he would return for her, and take her to a place where he could spoil and pamper her like he'd been longing to do for what seemed far too long. He would return to take her to place where they could be a family; where he would have her, body, heart, mind, and soul; and she would have him.

He would return to make her his mate.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Lol, I can't believe I'm censoring swear words I right…but whatever…A bit of a more humorous bit here…somehow the idea of Kagura and InuYasha in drunken brawl mode makes me laugh. **

"That's it, Kagome. Ye continue to do so well, and it shan't be much longer."

Kagura listened to Kaede's voice drifting from the bedroom, and grabbed the jug of sake again, not bothering to pour it, but rather simply gulping from the container. Miroku stared at her in a mixture of surprise and admiration. InuYasha snatched the bottle and drank from it too, found it empty after a moment, threw it aside and reached for the next one.

"D-mn hit all! Wash takin' so long?!"

"InuYasha, really, learn to *hic* drink with dignity." Kagura winced at the sound of the agonized moans from the bedroom. "I've changed *hic* my mind! Your brother's gonna remain childless."

"'Course he ish! Fer him ta have kids ya'd have ta schleep wit ta b-stard first! Who'n'd h-ell'd wanna do that?!"

Kagura, who was taking her turn with the bottle, threw it promptly at InuYasha's head. Lacking coordination in his inebriated state, he took too long to move and it hit him square on the top of the head, shattering and spilling sake all over him. Unharmed but ticked off to the extreme, he launched across the table and tackled her. They ended up scratching and snarling at each other like two cats; not a very flattering description, particularly for InuYasha.

Miroku, Sango, and Rin stood by, gaping. Miroku suddenly turned to Rin and grinned wickedly.

"Care to place bets, young lady?"

"Kagura'll beat him for sure, but what'll you bet?"

Sango punched her husband's arm.

"Don't teach her things like that, Miroku! Sesshoumaru will kill you for making her like you!"

Suddenly all three onlookers froze at the very ominous feeling that swept over them, and turned as one to face to doorway. Sesshoumaru stood there, taking in the scene with a deceptively calm expression, considering he had just driven his claws all the way through his palms.

"InuYasha, _you will remove yourself from my mate __**THIS INSTANT!!**_"

Kagura and InuYasha froze in place. Kagura had one of InuYasha's ears firmly in her teeth, her hands full of his hair. He had his hands wrapped around her neck and his knee driven into her stomach, while her own knee had been about to ensure he was unable to produce any more children, at least for a while. Just as Sesshoumaru's furious roar subsided, a scream rang through the house, followed after a moment by a baby's cry. InuYasha leapt off of Kagura, suddenly sobered by both the possibility of impending death at his brother's hands and the fact that he had just become a father. Kagura ran to Sesshoumaru, tears of drunken joy running down her face, and Rin hurried to her lord's side, chattering explanations hurriedly to distract him and calm him so that he didn't instantly rip InuYasha's heart out.

After several ensuing minutes of chaos, some amount of calm was finally arrived at. InuYasha had retreated sheepishly to the bedroom to be with Kagome and meet his daughter. Rin was constantly refilling Kagura's cup of tea in an attempt to sober her, Miroku and Sango had quietly taken their leave (Shippo was staying at there house), and Sesshoumaru was trying to decide whether or not keep being angry, or to be amused. It was hardly the sort of welcome he'd expected after his long absence, but once the fury of seeing his brother touch his mate in such a violent way had subsided, he found himself tempted to laugh. Kagura was a sight; her hair sticking out in multiple directions, circles under her bloodshot eyes, her clothing rumpled hopelessly.

Rin appeared to be the only sane person left in the house.

"Rin, perhaps you'd better start at the beginning and explain what has transpired here."

"Yes, milord. Kagome's pains began yesterday morning. Kagura wanted to be here; she and Kagome and Sango are all very good friends now, so she wanted to be around to comfort Kagome. Everybody did okay for a long time, but the baby didn't come; all day long we waited, and then I went to bed, and so did Sango and Miroku and the others, but I guess InuYasha and Kagura stayed up all night. Today, they were awfully tired, and the baby still hadn't come, so Miroku offered to bring over some sake; to give them a little "pep", he said. But then they started competing to see who could drink more…and they never stopped drinking until you came in. That's pretty much it."

Kagura suddenly slumped down across the table, fast asleep. Sesshoumaru sighed. Definitely not the welcome he'd been expecting. Suddenly Rin hurried to his side, gripping his hands in an uncharacteristically forward move; she rarely touched him without permission.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, what has happened to your hands?!"

Sesshoumaru glanced down to find his hands bleeding slowly from where he'd driven his claws through. Noting it was only Rin and Kagura and himself in the room, he licked away the blood, letting the saliva heal the wounds quickly. Then he stood.

"It's nothing. Where does Kagura sleep, Rin?"

"I'll show you."

Sesshoumaru picked his future mate up easily and held her gently. Even in this state, she was somehow beautiful. He didn't particularly like the scent of the sake on her though; he had a certain appreciation for good drinks, but whatever she'd been drinking was cheap and unpleasant. He followed Rin down a hall into a small room and smiled at its interior.

Tenseiga held the place of honor; hung on the wall directly across from the door, highlighted on each side by small tapestries depicting InuYoukai; tapestries his mother had given to Kagura when he'd introduced the two of them. Rin's puppy seemed to have taken up residence with Kagura; it was curled up in her covers, considerably bigger than when he'd last seen it. It ran to greet him, bowing in its polite little way before bounding around him, its whole body seeming to wag with the motion of its tail.

The room was simple; a mirror handing on one wall, a cabinet in the corner, the simple futon left rumpled and untidy in a way that made Sesshoumaru want to laugh; he would never have thought that Kagura would be one to make her bed, and wasn't surprised to see that she didn't. Rin moved to pull away the covers and Sesshoumaru set Kagura down carefully, pulling the blankets over her. Rin had vanished, taking the puppy with her; no doubt eager to see the baby. Sesshoumaru bent to brush his beloved's forehead lightly with his lips before he left.

………

Kagura woke up with a pounding headache. She was dazed and confused; puzzled as to how she'd gotten into her bed and why she was still dressed. She tossed her rumpled clothes into a corner carelessly and wrapped herself in a dark red robe, tying it tightly. She moved to look in the mirror and gaped at her reflection. What on earth?! The whites of her eyes were bloodshot, dark circles rimmed them, and her hair was still in some semblance of a bun but was sticking out in seemingly three hundred directions. Rather than bother with trying to rearrange it, she simply let her hair down and shook it free. It wasn't much of an improvement, but at least now she didn't look like she'd been twisting forks in her bun. She walked down the hallway to the dining area and found it completely empty. A quick glance out the window told her it must be the middle of the night. She stirred up the fire and set water to boil. Suddenly she gasped. The baby! They'd been waiting for Kagome to give birth, and then she and InuYasha had started drinking…what'd happened? Was the baby born? Was everything all right? Suddenly she noticed a note on the table and picked it up.

_Kagura: _

_Kagome's baby is a little girl. She doesn't have a name yet. Granny Kaede left some herbs for you to put in your tea if you have a headache when you wake up. Sesshoumaru-sama didn't kill InuYasha, so don't worry about that. I'm going back with Granny Kaede to her house for the night. See you in the morning!_

_~Rin_

Kagura felt her eyes go wide as the last missing memories fell into place. She'd been wrestling InuYasha…she snickered at the thought…and then Sesshoumaru had shown up, and been angry…and then she couldn't remember anything else. She sat down and buried her aching head in her hands, moaning quietly. That was _not _the state she would have planned to be in when he finally returned. She'd been missing him so long…waiting and waiting and waiting for him to return…and he _would_ just have to happen to come back when she was at her worst. Just her luck…

She rose and mixed the herbs Kaede had left her into water, sipping slowly and grimacing at the bitter taste before she swallowed it all as quickly as possible. At least she wasn't nauseous; never in her short life had she been sick to her stomach, and she wasn't going to start now. She walked outside, looking up at the stars and wondering where Sesshoumaru had gone. What if he had changed his mind about her? It had been more than three months…and he'd come back to find her in such a deplorable state. Surely he would rethink having such a shameless creature as his mate?

She sat down at the foot of a nearby tree, sighing heavily, filled with a strange mixture of fear and sadness and joy.

"Kagura."

She looked up and smiled wanly at Sesshoumaru.

"Hey. You're back…"

He sat beside her she was surprised by the smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"Yes."

"Sesshoumaru…I…I'm sorry. Getting drunk like that isn't something I make a habit of doing…InuYasha and I just got carried away worrying about Kagome…I didn't know you were coming back…I'm sorry…"

He chuckled quietly and suddenly pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Stop worrying about it, mate. You have done nothing to anger me. I was only angry with InuYasha for daring to attack you."

She turned in his arms, looking up at him with hope and joy in her eyes. He smiled, drinking in the sight of her; her robe slightly loose at the top, giving him tiny glimpses of her skin, her hair disheveled and framing her face in rebellious waves, and he kissed her deeply without thinking it through first, delving into her mouth for only a moment before pulling away with an almost comical grimace.

"You taste like cheap sake and medicine. I really don't have a problem with you drinking, in moderation, but you're going to have to develop better taste."

"Don't blame me, it was Miroku's sake. He's a cheapskate. And the medicine is something Kaede left for me, which is good since I woke up feeling like my head would split in two."

"You ought to go back to bed until morning. Come."

He accompanied her back into the house and even came into her room with her. She sat on the corner of the futon and motioned for him to sit with her. She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, sighing as he wrapped an arm around her and threaded his fingers through her hair, working through stray tangles left by her tussle with InuYasha. He stretched out beside her when she lay down, and simply stayed with her, occasionally touching her face or hair, until she drifted back to sleep. He considered leaving then, but instead chose to rise just long enough to remove his boots and armor before returning to her side. His sleep that night was more peaceful than he could ever remember it being before; curled up against his mate, completely content.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: You may have noticed my strange way of picking and choosing which names I put "u" in…I seem to always pick my favorite spelling. Thus I write "Sesshoumaru" instead of "Sesshomaru" but I write "Shippo" instead of "Shippou". Then there's ones like "Kikyou/Kikyo" where I can't make up my mind which I like better, but I try to always keep it consistent within one story, though in a completely different story I might change it. Sorry if this bugs anyone, I'm thinking I'll eventually start writing all the names with the "u". **

InuYasha pushed aside the curtained door to Kagura's room and gaped at the sight of his brother sitting on the edge of her bed pulling on his boots. Kagura was still asleep by the looks of it. InuYasha's eyebrow twitched.

"Ah, man, Sesshoumaru! You didn't…you…her…in _my_ house?!"

"Silence yourself, InuYasha. I merely shared the bed with her, nothing more. Your sense of smell should tell you that. Not that it's any of your business."

"Humph. My house, my business. Anyway, sorry to _intrude_, but I thought Kagura'd wanna see the baby."

"Yes, I suppose she will. I'll wake her in a moment. But first…" Sesshoumaru rose and approached his brother. Without warning, he punched InuYasha, who flew back across the hall, hit the wall and slumped down, wiping at his bleeding mouth and nose and spluttering curses. "You will remember in future not to touch my mate in violence, even in play. You will also not enter her bedroom without knocking or otherwise announcing your presence first."

InuYasha went silent, realizing that, at least by the standards of their tribe, he deserved to be reprimanded. For once, he accepted the rebuke without a fight. He was beyond surprised and into the realm of _stunned_, however, when Sesshoumaru offered a hand and pulled him to his feet, and then embraced him in a formal, forced way.

"Congratulations on the birth of your pup, brother."

InuYasha awkwardly returned the forced hug, which he knew was nothing more than a traditional ritual of congratulations among their family. Both brothers hurried to pull away then, and suddenly InuYasha couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it. Even Sesshoumaru couldn't help but to smile slightly. Kagura, disheveled and sleepy looking, suddenly appeared at the doorway behind Sesshoumaru, rubbing her eyes as if to clear them.

"I really shouldn't drink. It makes for very odd dreams. So clear…but this couldn't be reality, surely? I could swear I just saw you two hug."

InuYasha laughed and walked away, thinking it best not to risk being punched again, considering Kagura appeared to be clothed in only a robe. Sesshoumaru hugged Kagura briefly and then gently pushed her back into her room.

"Get dressed and we'll go meet our niece."

"Niece…Hey, I'm an aunt!"

He smiled at her childish excitement and hovered around outside her room, listening to her move around, resisting the temptation to peek through the slightly see-through cloth that served as a door.

"You can come in Sesshoumaru. I'm covered, though it hardly matters either way if we're going to be mates."

He reentered the room and found her wearing a thin, formfitting white garment that practically made his mouth water, her beauty amplified by the contrast of the white with her black hair and red eyes. She shot him a coy look over one shoulder from where she stood facing her wardrobe with her back to him, and it took a great deal of restraint to keep from pouncing on her. Laughing at the expression on his face, she pulled out a blue kimono and put it on, not bothering to add her customary top layer. She took out a red sash and cocked her head towards him.

"Help me tie this, would you?"

He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously but approached her nonetheless. Somehow he wasn't surprised when she swung the strip of cloth around the back of his neck and pulled him to her. What did surprise him was that this morning she'd somehow managed to replace the sake and medicine taste from last night with a sweet taste he couldn't quite describe, but couldn't get enough of. He felt the jolt when her back hit the wall and just kept going until he was pressed as close to her as he could possibly get, exploring every corner of her mouth. He was in completely humanoid form; he usually retracted the fur when he wasn't wearing his armor, because he found that one looked uneven without the other. Without the fur, he found he enjoyed the sensation of her hands moving up his shoulders, and then locking behind his neck as she returned his kiss.

Her untied kimono had fallen open and he could feel every curve of her wonderful body through the thin shift she wore beneath. He was beginning to wish he _had _put his armor on; the need to take her was almost overwhelming with this much contact between their bodies. Suddenly she pulled just the slightest bit away, tilting her head back against the wall as she sought to catch her breath. She was doing it on purpose, no doubt, exposing her neck like that, with her chest heaving against his. He growled lowly and saw a smile flit across her slightly swollen lips. He bent to nip and lick at the exposed column of her neck, thrilling at the tiny moan the fell from her mouth. His vision went red at the edges, and he took her mouth again, his hands moving from her waist upwards to brush just briefly against the sides of her breasts before he wrapped one hand around the side of her neck and cupped her face with the other one, kissing her as deeply and thoroughly as he possibly could. He was fighting that old familiar battle between his body and mind again, rather unsure of which side he was on, when suddenly InuYasha's loud, obnoxious voice rang through the house from down the hall.

"Sesshoumaru, whatever the heck you're doing, cut it out! You're making the whole house reek like d-mn pheromones!"

"InuYasha, what are you shouting for?! You'll wake the baby! Sit!"

There was a resounding crash followed by the sound of the baby making her complaints at her parents' loudness well known. She had a good set of lungs. Not unlike her mother and father, Sesshoumaru thought wryly. Though he was rather inclined to hit InuYasha again later, he was relieved to some degree for the interruption. Now was certainly not the time…and more importantly not the place, to take his mate for the first time. He pulled her kimono closed and smiled at her, kissing the tip of her nose as he tied her sash and grabbed the two pearl combs he'd given her off the top of the wardrobe, using them to pull her hair away from her face, leaving it down the rest of the way.

He couldn't seem to stop himself from swooping in to claim one more brief kiss.

"I love you, Kagura."

……..

Kagura stared down at the tiny bundle in her arms and felt both delighted and somehow afraid. This little…creature…was so tiny, so helpless, so weak. And she had never before held a baby this young. She'd held Miroku and Sango's youngest on occasion, and long ago there'd been that, that _thing _of Naraku's, the Infant; but never had she felt such a responsibility; the responsibility of holding something precious beyond belief completely powerless in her grasp, knowing she could break it without even meaning to, with a careless move.

Still, despite Kagura's fear…the baby was adorable. She looked completely human, and had her mother's coloring, the only signs of her demon heritage being her tiny claws and the fact that she already had two teeth; her fangs. She was going to be a tough little brat, Kagura thought affectionately. Carefully, Kagura passed the baby to Rin, who was sitting with her on the side of Kagome's bed. InuYasha suddenly spoke up from where he was sitting cross legged on the floor in the corner.

"Hey, Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru tore his gaze from Kagura and Rin and tore his mind from the precious hope that one day it would be his child they took turns holding.

"What is it?"

"Will she be likely to have…you know, a problem with her demon blood, like me? Do I need to find some way to bind her, like Tessaiga binds me?"

"I hadn't thought of that. She's much less likely to be in a position of having her life threatened, of course, than you have been. And being only quarter-Youkai, she's less likely to have a transformed state anyway. Still, just to be certain, I suppose I might be convinced to donate something to the cause of her wellbeing."

"Whatcha mean?"

"The simplest way to prevent any possibility of such a transformation occurring would be to do what Father did with you. Simply having the fang of a Dai-Youkai placed within her body somewhere should be enough; no need to go through all that nonsense with making a sword and paths to the other world or anything like that. My power will easily seal hers."

"You mean, you're actually gonna let somebody pull out one of your teeth? Wow, you must really care."

"Ridiculous. No one would dare touch this Sesshoumaru in such a way."

Everyone in the room fought smiles at Sesshoumaru's way of referencing himself; something which had become a fairly rare occurrence of late. Then they all went wide eyed as he lifted one hand, his pointer finger glowing as poison was gathered there, and touched the finger to his gum above his left fang. He pulled the tooth out without so much as a wince, closed his mouth momentarily, and when he spoke again, he already had a new one in place. No one could quite decide whether to be shocked or simply impressed. After all, if InuYasha's fang could grow back in half a day, it really wasn't _that _surprising that his more powerful older brother could grow a fang back almost instantly.

"This should do it. Where do you want it?"

Kagome spoke now, from where she was comfortably propped up in bed; her bed was a larger replica of the one she'd had in her own birth-time, rather than a mat or futon, and she seemed very comfortable.

"Sesshoumaru, will it….hurt her?"

"Not at all. I will simply use my power to insert it into her body. You only need to tell me where. I could easily place it inside her eye, where InuYasha's pearl was. It will become simply a place of power; it will not be physical, so she will feel nothing. The only way to make it physical again would be if someone with the same amount or close to the same amount of power as I have pulls it out, as I did with InuYasha's pearl. It is unlikely she will ever run across someone of such power, and even if she did, it is unlikely that person would have any cause to remove the seal."

Kagome nodded in understanding.

"You may as well put it where InuYasha's pearl was, then."

Sesshoumaru approached the bed and motioned for Rin to hand him the baby. Had anybody been looking, they might have noted the irritation on InuYasha's face at the graceful ease with which his older brother took the child. He himself had nearly dropped her the first time he'd held her, and it was beyond annoying how Sesshoumaru managed to do nearly everything perfectly.

Sesshoumaru placed his hand, holding his fang, over the baby's right eye, and a whitish light flowed from around the area. The baby squirmed slightly, but showed no signs of pain. Kagura was the only one who noticed the way Sesshoumaru's jaw tightened, and his brows furrowed slightly. After a moment, he gave the baby to Kagome, touching his nieces head in a more affectionate way than was the norm for him, a slight smile at the corners of his mouth.

"She should be fine now. Miko, within our family it has always been the tradition for the mother to name her daughters, and the father to name his sons. What will you call your daughter?"

Kagome looked down at the baby in her arms, and felt a tinge of pain at the little brown eyes looking back at her. Those eyes were not her own eyes, nor InuYasha's. They were reminders of another person…A person she had long ago stopped feeling bitter towards and instead had simply pitied and mourned.

"Kikyo. Her name is Kikyo."

InuYasha looked at her with wide eyes, a strange mixture of old sorrow and joy in his eyes. He'd long ago given up any lingering romantic feelings for Kikyo, but her memory; the memory of the first woman who had reached out to him, the memory of the woman he'd been unable to protect, was still bittersweet. Kagome could think of no better way to commemorate her predecessor than to name their first daughter after her.

Sesshoumaru nodded once, a strange understanding and approval in his eyes. Shippo, who had been sitting at the foot of the bed, unusually silent, opened his mouth, probably to remind Kagome of past hurts in his tactless way, but Sesshoumaru glared at him and he snapped his mouth shut. Feeling that it might be best to allow Kagome and InuYasha some time alone with their daughter, the Dai-Youkai spoke.

"Kagura, Rin, would you care to go for a walk with me? Bring the fox along too."

Sesshoumaru was the last one out the door. He chose not to say anything about the scent of his brother's tears.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I'm assuming for the purpose of this story that it was InuYasha and Sesshoumaru's father who put the pearl that Hosenki made into InuYasha's eye….I'm not actually sure if that's right by the manga/anime/movies storyline, but oh well, I can take creative liberties here and there, tee-hee.**

Rin and Shippo were playing tag, the dog bounding around their feet, barking. Annoyed by the repetitive sound in his sensitive ears, Sesshoumaru let his aura surround the small creature, demanding it be silent, and it obediently stopped yapping and continued its play more quietly. Instead of sitting on the well, as he normally did, Sesshoumaru sat in front of it and leaned back against it, closing his eyes. Kagura sat beside him and rested her head on his shoulder, reaching up to brush her fingers through his bangs.

"You're in pain."

He shook his head slightly.

"Not so much now. In truth, putting a seal on someone by inserting a physical link to a powerful being into their body is incredibly painful, normally for the person being sealed. If the person doing the sealing chooses to, however, they can take that pain upon themselves. That is what Father did when putting the pearl into InuYasha's eye, I imagine. I merely did the same thing when sealing the baby."

Kagura moved to sit on his lap, facing him with her legs off to one side, and put her hands on each side of his face, tracing the stripes on his eyelids with her thumbs before resting her forehead against his. He smiled slightly.

"You're really not in pain anymore?"

"My head aches, but it will fade shortly. There was only true pain for a moment when I inserted the fang into the girl."

Her gentle hands seemed to know exactly where to go, soft, cool fingers rubbing gently at his temples, where the pounding pain still centered. He sighed and rested his head against the well, breathing in her sweet, soothing scent and enjoying the warmth of her. She kissed the crescent on his forehead, and he shivered slightly. She was always going after his markings; tracing the ones on his cheeks, licking the ones on his wrists, stroking those on his eyelids or kissing the one on his forehead. Did she somehow instinctively know, without him having told her, that those places were incredibly sensitive, and that her touch on his markings never failed to arouse him? Mischievous wench. Thank Kami he'd thought to put his armor back on earlier. Still, what better cure was there for pain than the touch of one's mate? He buried his face in her neck and scraped his fangs lightly over her collarbone, internally chuckling at the shudder that moved through her. Sweet revenge.

She moved away from him, rising and walking a couple of steps away. She seemed agitated, and she smelled of want. He couldn't help the slight smugness he felt at the way she reacted to him.

"Sesshoumaru, when will we be mated…really mated?"

"Impatient, Kagura?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes at him. He rose and embraced her, amused by the way she tried not to respond when he kissed her, even as her scent spiked, before she gave in and opened her mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He moved away after only a moment, well aware that they were not alone. Her eyes held a slightly dazed look, and he wanted to laugh at the way she blinked several times to come back to reality. Her scent was changing, and suddenly he felt his eyes widen just slightly. How was it that in the entire roughly ten or eleven months since her return, he'd somehow never been around her on her heat? Though, on second thought, he seemed to remember once catching the tail end of it. Now, however, her scent had gone from wonderful to completely intoxicating. This explained how she seemed even more eager today than usual…he recalled their passionate embrace in her bedroom earlier and realized he probably should have figured it out sooner. He could see the confusion and something akin to fear in her eyes.

"Sesshoumaru, I feel strange. I…I always want to be near you…I always want you…but right now I feel really odd…like I'd give anything to have you take me, right here and now…I've never felt like this before, not so strongly. Is something wrong with me?"

He took several steps away from her and locked his mind on Rin's innocent scent as a distraction while he spoke.

"It's only because you've never been around your mate while on your heat before. It's natural, it will pass with time."

"Heat? I thought only InuYoukai women would have that, or animal youkai at least?"

"No, it's a common feature of all mammals to some degree, even humans. It's simply your fertile period. Your body instinctively calls to males, and you become more willing to accept physical mating."

"But I've never felt like this before. I remember maybe feeling a little different now and then, but not like this."

She had walked back to the well and was gripping its edges as if for dear life. A gentle breeze brought her scent to him and he closed his eyes, breathing through his mouth and forcing instinct back.

"It's because of our bond, Kagura. Your body reacts much more strongly to me because it recognizes me as your mate."

She raised an eyebrow and gave him a weak smile.

"Does that mean you feel it too?"

He watched Rin do cartwheels and tried his hardest to focus on the girl instead of the way Kagura's body and his own inner demon were screaming at him to take her, heedless of the time, place, and witnesses. He could feel the familiar sensation of his markings becoming jagged and his eyes going red.

"Yes." He suddenly winced and pulled his claws out of his palm, holding his bleeding hand up to Kagura's view, a wry smile on his face. "I seem to be doing this with increasing frequency."

Instantly she was at his side, examining the cuts while he fought every instinct he possessed. He realized his other hand was bleeding as well, and lifted it without thought to his mouth, licking away the blood. Suddenly he caught the speculative light in her eyes and shook his head fiercely.

"Kagura, don't even think about…"

Too late. Her warm tongue moved across the cuts on his palm and he drove a fang into his lower lip to hold back a groan. He was contemplating the fastest possible way to rip all of her clothes off in one shot, when suddenly a young voice sounded from his side.

"Sesshoumaru-sama? Did you get hurt?"

He was torn between thanking whatever Deity there may be and cursing as strongly as possible. Rin didn't seem to find anything unusual about the fact that Kagura was still almost idly licking at the wounds on his hand. Instead, his adopted pup was examining the wounds on his other hand, which were already closing nicely.

"That's the second time in a couple of days, Sesshoumaru-sama! Maybe you should trim your claws."

He smiled at her childish logic. Rin's voice and scent calmed him considerably; she always had that affect on him. Kagura, meantime, had intertwined her fingers with his and was leaning against his arm heavily, breathing rapidly, her scent so strong it was almost smothering.

"Rin, why don't you and Kagura go for a swim? It's a nice day; the water should be warm enough. I'm going back to the house for a little while."

He escaped as quickly as he could, before Kagura contemplated arguing his departure.

………

InuYasha was sitting on the floor holding baby Kikyo, watching her every movement as if it were the most important move ever made. Sesshoumaru entered and sat down rather hard, slumping back against the wall, closing his eyes, and breathing deeply. InuYasha looked up in surprise.

"Sesshoumaru? What happened? You smell like…"

"Don't say it, InuYasha." He actually gave his younger brother a sheepish smile, which caused the hanyou's eyes to widen considerably. "Kagura's gone into heat, and I've gone into hiding."

InuYasha laughed.

"You can run, but I doubt it'll do any good. In that state she'll stalk you to the ends of the earth." He cocked his head towards the bedroom, assuring himself from her breathing that Kagome was asleep, taking a nap, before giving his brother a wink. "Trust me. Kagome seems innocent most of time, but check it out, I got her pupped like her first heat when we were married. You think it was my choice? Hardly. She attacked me, I swear it. And Kagura doesn't seem innocent anyway, so she'll probably be even worse. Plus, you're full youkai, so the whole instinctual thing really gets to you, I'll bet. Why are you avoiding it, anyway? She's your mate, ceremonies or not. I mated a human, so we had to get married like the humans do to make her happy. But you and Kagura, you're soul-mates. You don't need all that nonsense. Why don't you just sweep her off somewhere and get it over with?"

Sesshoumaru glared, offended by InuYasha's casual references to both of their mates, and his implication that Kagura and Sesshoumaru's first physical mating was something to be "gotten over with". Still, he answered his brother's question.

"The pups Kagura bears me will be the heirs to our entire line. Therefore it is imperative that there be no possibility of dispute over their legitimacy. True, we're not bound by human mating customs, but it is important to go through proper mating ceremonies nonetheless. It is best that any child of ours be conceived within the bounds of an official union. That way, should some dispute arise, nothing can be called into question."

"What kind of a dispute? Who would dispute the claim of your heirs? Not me, that's fer sure. Who'd wanna be a lord and responsible for all that territory and stuff?"

"We may not be the only two sons Father sired, InuYasha. Father was really rather promiscuous. Now, I was his heir, as the eldest. However, should another son appear, wanting in on the inheritance, and my eldest son was not conceived within an official mate-bond, that other claimant _might_ be able to convince the court that he should be the next heir after me, rather than my son. Understand?"

"Yeah, I think so. But is it really that likely to happen? I mean, there's no way I'd let some vague possibility of another brother keep me from my mate when she's in such an alluring state."

"Well, you aren't the one burdened by the responsibility of keeping the territory intact. And yes, it is quite likely to happen. I've always thought it likely that I have more half-siblings, but of late I've heard rumors of another Inu Hanyou, like yourself; some idiot who goes around bragging that my territory is rightfully his. As it is, there is no loophole he can get through to claim anything, even a small portion of the inheritance. I must not create one by siring a child outside of official mate-bonds."

"Gosh, there really might be another? That's weird…I never really bothered thinking about the possibility. I mean, Dad only thought about the two of us, right? He left us the swords and stuff…"

"That doesn't mean there weren't others. He may have even been aware of the others. He had a duty to me because Mother was his official mate and I was his heir. As for you, he loved your mother. Thus he had an official duty to my mother and a heart duty to yours. The mothers of any others were just women he shared a bed with briefly. It's unfortunate, truly. You didn't know Father, but he was in most instances a man of great valor, honor, wisdom, and strength. Yet women were his worst flaw. I think perhaps it is better to have a multitude of small flaws than to have one great weakness."

"Yeah, that makes sense…"

Sesshoumaru rose.

"I think I'll go away for a couple of days. Tell Kagura I'll be back before the week ends."

InuYasha nodded in understanding. They shared the tiniest of wry grins before the elder brother left.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: In the anime, Sesshoumaru and Kouga met once, but I don't think that happened in the manga, and that's what I'm going by here.**

Rin ducked under the water and came up sopping, laughing happily as she brushed dripping hair back from her face. Kagura vaguely noted that Rin had begun to fill out, becoming slightly less gangly and somewhat more curved. Perhaps she'd stop tripping over herself soon. These were all idle observations, however, for the majority of Kagura's thoughts were still focused on her mate.

She could sense his aura moving away, and realized he must have decided to leave for the duration of her heat. She understood his motivation; he'd confided in her before about the possibility of him having another brother and the fact that their children ought to be conceived within an official union. And this being her fertile period, it was very likely that if they were to become intimate, she would conceive. So she understood his leaving. Still, she was surprised by how angry she suddenly felt with him. Was this a part of their bond as well, this anger she felt with him for daring to ignore her needs? After all, her body and instincts couldn't understand logic. Instead they simply cried out that her mate was not fulfilling his duty to her; that he was supposed to satisfy her, as she was meant to satisfy him, and that it was somehow wrong for him to deny them both that pleasure. She shook her head, frustrated.

Shippo was swimming around in circles near her. He eyed her curiously.

"You smell funny, Kagura."

She rolled her eyes and splashed him. As he sputtered, something suddenly occurred to her.

"Shippo, how old are you, really? By human standards?"

"Still young. Even InuYasha is two hundred years old. And Sesshoumaru is like seven hundred or something, I think. I'm only fifty."

"Why are you so little, then? By the way Sesshoumaru talks, I thought you animal demons age at a human rate until you're fully mature, and then stop. So shouldn't you look at least twenty?"

"We foxes are different than the InuYoukai. It's a survival technique. We're not very strong even when we're full grown, so we stay kids as long as we can because lots of things are more hesitant to kill kids; either because we're cute or because we're too small to make a good meal."

"So hold on a second…does that mean you're completely mature mentally? And if so, why are we letting you bathe with us, you little pervert?!"

"No, no! I really am a kid. But if I wanted to, I could be an adult. But I don't wanna. It's fun being a kid, especially now that we're all safe and not always almost getting killed and stuff."

"Yeah well still, I think it's time you started bathing with the men. Scoot, brat. Shoo."

Shippo scurried away quickly, grabbing his clothes, and Kagura smiled, amused by his apparent fear of her wrath. When it was just her and Rin, she felt considerably more comfortable. She didn't particularly like having Shippo around. It wasn't that she didn't like him, but she knew Sesshoumaru didn't like the small fox's scent on her. She also didn't particularly want to be around that keen little nose in the state she was in. Though she supposed she'd have to be around him or InuYasha eventually. InuYasha, however, despite often being tactless, would understand that it was a natural process, whereas Shippo might simply mention to that pervert monk that she smelled funny, and Miroku would figure out that she was aroused, and from there he'd conjure up all sorts of dirty things she might have either been doing alone or with Sesshoumaru. Ugh. Annoying little fox, he'd better keep his mouth shut.

Kagura rested her folded arms on a large, smooth boulder and watched Rin splash around for a while, bored. Eventually Rin joined her, facing her from across the rock, biting her lip and seeming to be trying to get up the courage to say something.

"Rin, you want something?" The girl nodded, looking shy. "What is it?"

"Well…I once asked InuYasha, but he got all upset and flustered…and I didn't want to ask Kagome because she was so busy getting ready for the baby, and Miroku was always around Sango, so I couldn't talk to her, 'cause I think he'd tease me for asking…"

"Come on, Rin, just go ahead and ask. I'm dying of curiosity now."

"Okay…I thought it was a pretty normal thing to ask, but InuYasha got so upset that now I think maybe I shouldn't…but…how does a baby get inside someone's belly, Kagura?"

With a groan, Kagura slid into the water, cursing inwardly. Did it _have _to be today? There was no way she could discuss the topic indifferently in the state she was in. Still, it was completely natural for Rin to be curious, what with the baby's birth and the fairly recent changes in her own body. Kagura had explained her monthly bleeding to the girl, but at that point Rin hadn't seemed too interested in the entire process of fertility and such. Kagura supposed it was her duty to explain it now that Rin was asking, since she had essentially taken over the role of mother to the girl. She dunked herself completely under the cold water and held her breath, letting the water sooth her and cool her heated blood before she rose back up.

"I'll try to explain it Rin. It's kind of an awkward topic, though."

Ten minutes and a great deal of discomfort on Kagura's part later, Rin tilted her head curiously.

"I don't get it. Why is that so embarrassing? I didn't know it was the same thing, but I've seen plenty of animals do that. Isn't that just the way it's supposed to be?"

"Innocence must be so nice. Oh, but remember, among your kind, it ought only to be done within marriage. Don't just do that with any boy who asks you, you know? In fact, if any boy asks you, you should probably tell InuYasha and let him rough them up a bit."

"Kagura, you're blushing."

Kagura groaned and rested her head against the smooth wet surface of the boulder, trying to still the rushing images in her mind. For every brief, basic fact she'd given Rin, another twenty more detailed pictures hit her brain, seemingly dozens and dozens of different scenarios, all of them centering around herself and Sesshoumaru.

"Kagura, do people…like doing that? Is that why Miroku's always touching Sango and InuYasha and Kagome used to have 'naps' at random times of the day before the baby got really big inside her?"

That made Kagura snicker slightly.

"Yes. Always surprised me when InuYasha came up with those lame excuses to get Kagome alone. Hardly pictured him to be the type. But then I suppose most men are."

"You mean the women don't like it?"

"Depends on the woman and how her man treats her, I guess. I think most women who have good husbands, like Sango and Kagome, enjoy it."

"What about you and Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Rin! Don't be so nosy! Anyway, we haven't done that yet, we're not official mates."

Rin giggled. She'd never seen Kagura so flustered before. She couldn't comprehend what made all the adults so uncomfortable about the subject. She'd found it slightly odd but not particularly disturbing when animals did it, thinking it simply another natural event, like eating and drinking. After all, every species needed to produce young in order to survive. She couldn't comprehend why something so natural, and apparently enjoyable, made all the grownups squirm. Still, she decided not to press the topic, since her question had been suitably answered, so she swam away, leaving Kagura to her thoughts.

Kagura most decidedly did not _want _to be alone with her traitorous thoughts. Frustrated beyond belief, she pulled herself up onto the boulder and glared at a small fish that nibbled at her toes. Finally, sick of doing nothing, she wrapped herself loosely in her kimono and tied it in a simple knot, her entire body heating at the memory of this morning's passion and the way Sesshoumaru's scent clung to her clothing. She wrung out her hair and wrapped it in a towel, and headed back towards the house.

………

InuYasha was lying on his back on the roof, hands behind his head, enjoying the feeling of the sun on his face. Kagome and baby Kikyo had fallen asleep, and for what seemed the first time since the baby's birth, there was a moment of complete peace and quiet. He was contemplating simply falling asleep up there, when suddenly his nose twitched and he sat up, eyes going wide. What the…?! He dug his claws into the roof and inwardly cursed his brother.

Kagome smelled incredible when she was in heat; hence the fact that only about eleven months into the marriage, they were already parents. But this…Kagura smelled wonderful, certainly, but there was something else too. He could almost _hear _her body's call. He'd been around Kagura on her heat before; she'd been living with them for some time, after all. But she'd never smelled like that. Could Sesshoumaru's presence, even if only for a short period of her heat, really cause such a difference? Sesshoumaru, that jerk! Didn't he realize that once the full potential of her scent was awakened, it would call to any male animal youkai, mate or not? At this rate InuYasha would probably have to run around the village all night fending off horny attackers while trying not to get aroused himself. Stupid Sesshoumaru really should have just taken care of it himself, despite his logic. Surely he could have figured a way to take care of her without getting her pregnant?

Cursing strongly under his breath, InuYasha leapt down to meet Kagura as she was about to enter the house, and she glared at him like it was all his fault, looking rather ridiculous with her hair wrapped up in a towel atop her head. Her cheeks were flushed; something that was very uncommon to see on her, and looked very odd with her red eyes. He opened his mouth to say something rude, but snapped it shut again when he saw the confusion and upset in her eyes. Why, she almost looked ready to cry! He spoke more softly than he usually did, never able to stand the sight of a woman upset.

"I think you should keep your fan close tonight, Kagura. And, if you can, it'd be good if you can somehow use the wind to keep your scent in, otherwise there's gonna be a lot of youkai coming after you."

She nodded and stomped into the house.

…………

Sesshoumaru only went about a mile, and then settled into a tree to watch over the most obvious path into the village. He knew InuYasha would defend the village itself, but if he could, he'd turn back or kill any youkai he saw going this way. Even from this distance, he could sense the call of his mate's body. He'd never felt such a strong pull from any female, and the fact that it was directed at him made it even worse…or perhaps better.

If all went well, they should be mates officially by within the next three weeks. He'd set the entire palace on its ear with the news that he was bringing home a mate. He'd seen at least one of the older servants actually swoon at the announcement. He smirked at the memory. Jaken had screamed nonsense at him after finding out about the news. He'd had to kick him to shut him up. It had taken a while longer than he'd thought, but the palace was ready now; chambers prepared for both Kagura and Rin, maids lined up for both of them, notices sent out to his allies to inform them he'd be mated, and any number of other small things that might be important. His mother had shown up and taken over right before he left, which pleased him, since her female mind might recall some things that wouldn't seem important to him.

He stretched a leg out along the branch he was sitting in and closed his eyes, allowing himself to fantasize much more explicitly than was his normal custom. Suddenly he heard quick footfalls some distance away and looked down the road. It was that wolf prince, he realized quickly. He was the one whose wolves had killed Rin, and he also had a history of attacking Kagura. Kagome called him friend, but Sesshoumaru, even having never met him, most decidedly didn't like him. Still, if the wolf was here tracking Kagura's scent, he would thoroughly enjoy informing the idiot just who he was chasing after.

Kouga was so absorbed in tracking the incredible scent of an unsatisfied female in deep heat that he didn't even recognize the scent or aura of a Dai-Youkai. Idiot. Sesshoumaru dropped gracefully down in front of him, one hand laid casually on the hilt of Bakusaiga.

"Kouga, I believe your name was."

The wolf slammed to a halt, suddenly realizing that he'd very nearly run straight into an extremely powerful being.

"Yeah, and who're you?"

"The female you're tracking is my mate."

"Humph. She doesn't smell mated to me."

"Do not be a fool. No female goes that far into heat without being around her mate, whether satisfied by him or not."

"Who are you? Your scent if familiar, like that jerk InuYasha's. Wait…are you Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru merely nodded once.

"Even if she were not my mate, I don't believe you'll want that female, wolf."

"Oh, you think you can tell me what I want, now?"

"That's not what I said. By all means, if you care to attempt a mating with Wind User Kagura, go ahead, I'm sure she'll be glad to relieve a little frustration by chopping a limb or two off you."

"Kagura?! Kagura is dead, along with her stinking master! And good riddance to them both!"

"I'm afraid you're incorrect. Kagura is alive and well, and within the next month will be my mate. Should you threaten her or attempt to take her, I will rid you of your feet and let her do the rest while you are unable to run. Understand?"

"Huh. I don't have any desire to ever see or smell that witch again. I'm leaving, but don't think I'm running away!"

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to laugh at the wolf's quick retreat before he leapt back up into the tree and once again immersed himself in fantasies of his mate.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/M: Well, these last few chapters have certainly born testament to my own raging and unsatisfied hormones, lol. True love may wait, but that doesn't mean it doesn't want. (:p) Anyhow, I'll hopefully be moving on soon, lol. Start thinking of names for the kids that Sesshy and Kagura have, because I have no idea how to choose Japanese names, so I'll need your input, those of you with more knowledge than me. Or I'll just use a Japanese baby name picker site :p… **

**Thanks for the reviews, give me more! **

"Sesshoumaru, you're back! Thank Kami!"

"InuYasha, it's not like you to show such pleasure at my presence. Has something happened?"

"Well, Rin's sick, but it's nothing, just a cold. Kagura is sulking though, and Kagome's irritated because she caught me looking at Kagura a lot during her heat…how was I supposed to resist that scent?!...and Sango is pregnant again and acting all grouchy, and Kikyo cries all night, and I swear I'm losing my mind!"

Sesshoumaru had little pity for his female beset little brother. He was concerned, however, about the fact that he could smell Kagura's tears.

"What is Kagura upset about?"

"I dunno. She's been acting upset ever since her heat started. She's in her room if you want to talk to her. Rin is staying with Kaede so that Granny can tend to her cold and so that Kikyo doesn't catch it, since she's still so little."

Sesshoumaru just nodded and entered the house. Kagura was curled up in her bed. She wasn't crying, exactly, but every now and then a tear slipped down her face.

"Kagura?"

Instantly she sat up, wiping at her eyes and trying in vain to hide her sadness.

"Hi. I didn't know you were back…"

He sat on her bed and didn't try to hide his worry.

"What's the matter, Kagura? Remember, you must be honest with me."

"I…I just…You left because I went into heat, and even though I know you have a good reason, I kept feeling like maybe…maybe you don't really want me, and you're just making excuses to avoid intimacy…and then I started thinking about Naraku, and how maybe you can never truly love me knowing that I was made from him…and I realized there must be a million better choices for you; well bred demonesses, women with court manners and greater beauty, and real fathers who aren't your enemies…and…just, everything about me is wrong for you…"

Gently he brushed her bangs back with one hand, frowning slightly.

"You feel warm, Kagura. It's unusual for youkai to get sick. We'll have to figure out what's wrong with you, but first…Listen to me. I want you more each passing day, in every way, physical included. Naraku no longer has anything to do with us, and if anything, I should be grateful to him for creating you. If you were a well bred court woman, you would bore me. It is your spirit, your attitude, your humor, everything that is _you_, that I love; not some superficial noble's daughter. Everything about you is right for me; you fill every blank spot, every empty hole in my life. I promised to always be honest with you. It is not easy for me to speak such words. Do you think I would say such things if I were lying, Kagura?"

She shook her head slightly, a tiny but sincere smile touching her lips.

"Good." He kissed her lightly and then pulled back. "Now," he picked up her hand "I'm going to nick your thumb, alright? It shouldn't hurt much. I need to taste your blood, to see if it's tainted. It's very unusual for a youkai to get sick, but you have a fever. I need to be sure you weren't poisoned somehow."

"Okay."

He used one claw to make a small cut across the pad of her thumb. She gasped quietly, but didn't make any other sound. He waited for blood to well up before lowering his mouth to the cut. Suddenly he sat up and cursed more strongly that she'd ever heard him do before.

"Sesshoumaru? What is it?"

His entire body was tense. She grabbed his hands, interlacing her fingers with his to keep him from harming himself with his claws. His eyes were completely red, his markings jagged, and she could see his claws elongate while she held his hands. What on earth could the problem be? Then suddenly it hit her too, like lava pouring through her veins, and she reacted without thinking, fisting her hands in his sleeves and kissing him as deeply as she possibly could, not caring in the least when his fangs drew blood. It felt as if some kind of power swirled around them and then burst outward. Suddenly, Sesshoumaru snarled, ripping away from her and turning towards the door. InuYasha stood there, his own eyes bleeding slowly red, his hand clasping Tessaiga as if for dear life.

"Sesshoumaru…" InuYasha's voice was rough and hoarse. "Get out of the house. Until it fades."

Sesshoumaru snatched Kagura and the next thing she knew they were standing in the meadow where the well was. He was gasping for breath, leaning heavily on the well, his claws dug far into the battered wood. She felt as if she was burning up, desire overwhelming her, and even with her lesser senses, she could sense the waves of instinct and pheromones rushing around them. What on earth had happened?!

She sank down on the grass, her breath coming in gasps, her entire body aching with unfulfilled need. Sesshoumaru was panting like a lesser member of his species, his eyes tightly closed and sweat running down his face.

Then, suddenly, it lifted. The air washed clean, the ache let up, and Sesshoumaru opened his once again amber eyes and pulled his claws out of the wood. He slumped down to sit with his back against the well and waved her to him.

"Sesshoumaru…what happened?"

"We accidently bonded ourselves, that's what happened. There are three stages of soul-bonding, you see. One is simply decision; when I asked you to be my mate and you accepted, our souls began to intertwine. The second is the sharing of blood. Remember during your heat, when you licked the wounds on my palm? That was your side of the blood bonding. You got a fever and began having doubts about our relationship because the bond was not completed."

"But you've drawn blood with your fangs before while you're kissing me; shouldn't that have counted as your side?"

"No, it's only when it's certainly intentional that it works, and that could be an accident. When I tasted the blood on your thumb, the bond completed. Normally, however, blood bonding is done on the 'wedding night' if you want to call it that, because it is accompanied by such a rush of lust that is next to impossible to resist, and it is usually while the couple is entirely alone; the only ones in the entire building, as the bond spreads outward and affects any other demons in range; hence InuYasha's response. The third bonding is the actual physical act of mating, which usually begins within a minute of the second."

"But we resisted…It kinda feels like a waste of an awfully good feeling."

He laughed weakly, retracting his still elongated claws and running his tongue over his teeth to see if they'd changed as well. Finding everything in good order, he sighed and allowed himself to finally relax completely.

"Then you'll be glad to know that that can be repeated at any time. All we have to do is taste a drop or two of each others blood, and we'll go stark raving mad over each other."

She laughed at that and moved to lean against his side, but he gently held her away with one hand.

"Give me a moment. Your scent is too strong right now. Too hard to resist."

She rose and walked away a little, rather pleased with the affect she had on him. It was odd, ever since her heat she'd been depressed, but as soon as the bond completed, her melancholy vanished. He must be right then, that the half-completed bond had been what made her feel so uncharacteristically insecure and slightly sick as well. She sat in the grass and began picking flowers, forming a small bouquet idly, arranging the flowers as she went.

"How do you know how to do that, Kagura?"

"Do what?"

"Arrange flowers like that. What you're doing now is better than some of the arrangements I've seen the maids set out at my home, and flower arranging is part of their education, so if you do it better than them, you're very skilled."

"Naraku's castle was dark and dreary. Sometimes if he sent me on some mission, I'd stop for a few minutes and just pick and arrange flowers, so that I could take the memory of their brightness and color back with me."

Sesshoumaru walked over and sat down next to her, pulling her onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her, tucking a pink blossom behind her ear and speaking softly.

"There will always be brightness and color for you now, Kagura. You'll never have to face darkness again, if I have anything to say about it."

She leaned her head back against his shoulder and sighed happily. Suddenly InuYasha bounded into the meadow and sat down near them. He appeared exhausted.

"Sesshoumaru, if you're gonna do stuff like that, warn me first! Yeesh! I could have hurt somebody!"

"Hn. It was not intentional. Now then, InuYasha, we're leaving in two days." Kagura gasped quietly. "Find something for Kagura and Rin to pack their clothing in."

"You're leaving? To go to the estate and be mated?"

"Yes."

"Hey Sesshoumaru, where _is _the palace, anyway? I've never seen it or heard of where it is."

"It's built on the shoreline quite a distance northwest of here."

"Like, by the ocean? Doesn't the salt smell bug you?"

"Not particularly, no. It's actually rather pleasant once one becomes accustomed to it. Father loved the sea, and since I spent much of my youth there, I came to enjoy it as well. At some point, I'll likely invite you to come and see the estate, InuYasha. You should see your ancestors land. Our family has resided there for as long as they have lived here. The palace is new though. It's almost tradition for each son to have his father's palace ripped down and rebuilt. We each begin our reign with a fresh slate, rather than lingering in the shadows of our forerunners."

"I'd like to see it sometime. Anyway, I'm going to go find some bags or something for Kagura and Rin's stuff. Should I tell Rin you're leaving?"

"No, I believe I'll do that. She should know that she's not obligated to come with us. Only if she desires it."

"Oh, come on! Of course she'll go with you! She's been chafing to go away with you again ever since she moved in here."

"Still, it's important she have a choice. She's never been to the estate either, and it may be hard for her at first, seeing as many of the demons will be prejudiced against her, at least initially."

"Keh, she's got nothin' to worry about. If she could win _you _over, she'll have the entire palace wrapped around her little finger in a week."

InuYasha bounded away without another word, and Kagura turned quickly to kiss Sesshoumaru, excitement written in her eyes.

"We're going in just two days?! Finally!"

He smiled and pulled her closer.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I got all my extra Japanese names off of one of those baby naming sites, lol, so I have NO idea if they are real names, are spelled correctly, if their meanings are right, etc, etc…But I'll put the meanings the site had for them, at least, at the end of the chapter. I just hope none of them actually mean something offensive, lol…I should really learn Japanese…**

**Please be aware I know pretty much nothing about Japanese culture in feudal times, so I'm pretty much guessing off of what little I know and some knowledge of other countries in that time period (probably silly to base guesses off of totally different places, but oh well…) So anyway, I don't know how an estate such as this would work; how the servants would function, how meals would be taken, etc, so I'm pretty much jus' makin' it up as I go along…Sry…I gave the girls female bodyguards because in those anime episodes, where the Infant was in the care of a castle lady who believed it to be her son, and Kohaku eventually killed most of them, the lady of the castle had female bodyguards, I think.**

Kagura was utterly delighted by the palace. It was laid out much like Naraku's castle had been, but was bright and lively. It was probably about a ten minute walk from the main gate to the ocean, she estimated. From this vantage point, she could see that the estate covered a huge amount of space; she could see several immaculately tidy villages, rice fields, orchards, a couple of pastures of animals, a huge stable…it was incredible, and everything about it was beautiful, from the blossoming fruit trees to the brilliant blue water to the lovely gardens she saw within the palace grounds. She was pleased that they'd come in flying; otherwise she wouldn't have been able to see everything at once this way.

Rin's eyes were wide and full of excitement, taking it all in. Sesshoumaru watched them both with a slightly amused expression. Jaken, who was still sulking over his master's choice of mate, had chosen to ride Ah-Un instead of joining the rest of them on Sesshoumaru's cloud. Sometimes Kagura wondered about Jaken…what exactly _did _that weird little imp feel for Sesshoumaru, anyway? She could swear he was jealous. Nasty little creep.

As Sesshoumaru set the cloud down in the center of the courtyard and let it dissipate, each and every one of the many servants and guards going about their various tasks instantly fell prostrate in the presence of their lord. He waved them up with a vague hand motion.

"Return to you duties, all of you. Atsuko, come here please."

The girl who approached looked to be about fifteen, dressed in a simple blue kimono, with green-blue eyes and black hair pulled away from her face. She had pointed ears, so she was obviously a demon, but there was no real way of telling what variety of youkai she was. She had a sweet smile, but looked slightly nervous being this near to her great master, bowing low to the ground in respect. Sesshoumaru spoke.

"Rise, child. Rin, Atsuko will be your personal maid. She is a flower youkai, and little older than you; the age she appears is her true age. She will show you your quarters and see to any of your needs. You will also have two female bodyguards; Katsumi and Isamu. They are already waiting in your chambers. Go with Atsuko now. At supper you can tell me of anything that does not please you."

Rin was obviously eager to see her rooms, she seemed to be trying very hard not to break into a run as she and Atsuko crossed the courtyard. Sesshoumaru turned back to Kagura.

"There are three lady's maids for you, for the moment. Eventually you'll have more. For the moment, there are Arisu, Shinju, and Takara. You'll be spending most of your nights with me." He gave her a small, sly smile. "But for the nights you spend in your own chambers, Sayuri and Shizuka will be your guards. If at some point you spend an extended amount of time sleeping in your chambers; for example, should I be away for a month, you will be given more guards. It is of utmost importance to keep the lady of the manor safe, after all."

There was a slight teasing in his voice; she was, after all, fairly capable of defending herself. Still, she enjoyed being cared for and guarded, protected. She wanted to hug him, delighted by everything; the manor, the servants with their friendly smiles, everything. But she restrained herself, knowing it would not be proper to show such affection in the eyes of the servants.

They walked together up the steps leading to the main entrance to the great hall, and there they were greeted by a short and rather round demon; an Inu, judging by the white tail that Kagura noted when he bowed low to the ground.

"Welcome home, Sesshoumaru-sama. Is there anything I can do to assist you?"

"Not at the moment, Hachiro. Kagura, this is Hachiro, my steward. Hachiro, this is your new lady, Kagura-sama. You will, of course, see that you obey any orders she may be inclined to give you."

"Yes, Milord. Of course, Milord. Welcome, Milady."

Kagura tried to hide her amusement at the poor fellow's overdone submission. Sesshoumaru gave her a small smirk, and they continued inside. Behind her, Kagura could hear Jaken and Hachiro begin to argue. It would seem that Hachiro was rather taken in by her, while Jaken was determined not to like her. She smiled and shook her head lightly when she saw Sesshoumaru frown and twitch his claws as if considering finally killing Jaken. Three women appeared and also bowed low on the ground, rising only when Sesshoumaru bid them to.

They were all very beautiful, Kagura noted. One had hair of silver-white like Sesshoumaru's and InuYasha's, but it was fixed up elaborately atop her head. Her eyes were a startling, icy sort of color. Kagura wondered if she might have come from the same clan that Sesshoumaru's mother was from. This one introduced herself formally and politely as Arisu. The second had plain white hair, without the silvery sheen of Arisu's, and her eyes were deep black pools. She reminded Kagura of an older version of Kanna, yet her voice when she introduced herself as Shinju had none of the haunting, stilted quality that had made Kanna so eerie. The third woman was different. Her hair was like spun gold, her eyes a brilliant, rare purple. She bowed with the others, but there was less an air of servitude about her and more an air of nobility and self confidence, perhaps even arrogance. This one was Takara. There was subtle challenge in her vivid eyes as she met Kagura's, until a low warning growl from Sesshoumaru had her staring intently at her feet again.

He sent all three women away and then turned back to Kagura.

"I'm sorry for Takara's insolence. She is the daughter of one of my allies; a noblewoman in her own right. She was sent as a courtier here, to learn the ways of great houses, yet when her father attempted to make a match for her, she insulted her betrothed horribly, and her punishment is to act as a servant until she has learnt her lesson. Obviously, she hasn't adjusted to it well, but I cannot truly discipline her without offending her father."

"Somehow, I think I might actually like her. Good for her, standing up for herself against her father trying to force her into something. Besides, it seems to me I remember being rather rude to you once or twice; and yet here we are."

"True enough. The evening I refused to take the Jewel shards from you, you were appallingly rude. I would have chopped your head off if you hadn't looked so lovely, and if I hadn't been so fascinated by you."

She laughed softly.

"I realized later on just how lucky I was to still be alive after insulting you like that. I was truly an idiot, betraying Naraku _and _insulting you. Little wonder I ended up dead. I intend to be a lot more careful with this life."

"You shouldn't have to be. I'll be the one ensuring you remain alive and well."

"Huh. I'll have you know I'm perfectly capable of defending myself."

"If need be, certainly. After all, if you want to use such terms, you've become the alpha female of our tribe. Of course you're strong. But that does not mean it isn't my duty to protect you."

Again she resisted the urge to hug him. Suddenly a woman walked into the room and Kagura fought very hard not to let her jaw drop. Sesshoumaru's mother had her hair pulled back in a long tail down her back, and was wearing all light blue silks in a rather shocking outfit, hakama tied at the ankles to produce a ballooning affect, her sleeves long and loose, but her torso wrapped in scandalously tight fabric. She was practically dripping jewelry; gold and adamant necklaces and bracelets and earrings. She even wore anklets, her feet bare, toenails and claws painted silver, her eyelids marked to match. She was in entirely humanoid form, her fur nowhere to be seen. Even Sesshoumaru appeared slightly surprised at her appearance.

"Mother, what _are _you doing? Trying to seduce one of the servants?"

"Nonsense. None of them are worthy. These are my working clothes. You expect me to get anything done wearing my fur and kimonos?"

"Working clothes? Ridiculous. You expect me to believe you're working?"

"You insult me, son. I've been redecorating your chambers. Oh, and I switched around the living arrangements so that you and Kagura have an entire wing to yourselves. I can't believe you were going to put her in the other wing. We're demons, not humans with their silly customs of separation. Besides, if you have to walk all the way through the house to share a bed with your mate, everyone in residence knows when you're mating. No privacy at all. Now, if you were mates by arrangement, as your father and I were, I could understand sleeping separate. But you two are heart-mates. No need for any of that nonsense."

"True enough. But Mother, please tell me you didn't just say you redecorated my rooms?"

She just gave him a mischievous grin and walked right by him to greet Kagura with a friendly hand clasp.

"Heavens, child, I haven't told you my name, have I? We can't have you just thinking of me as 'Sesshoumaru's mother' for the next several centuries, now can we? I'm Michiko."

Smiling, thoroughly enjoying the presence of her eccentric future mate-mother, Kagura leaned a little closer and whispered; knowing Sesshoumaru could hear her but enjoying teasing him.

"So, what exactly did you do to his rooms?"

"Well you know, I had a…a _friend_, shall we say…who hung a mirror on the ceiling over his bed…"

Sesshoumaru gave a hopeless groan. Kagura instantly burst out laughing.

"Mother, you had better be joking. If you turned my chamber into a mockup of a courtesan's room, I'll never let you see your grandchildren."

"Yes, I'm joking. I had the room painted dark red…it's a very sensual shade, you know…and I had new bedding and such made. Other than that, there's little different."

"Good. Do the servants know of the change in plans? Kagura's maids should be relocated to her new chambers…across from mine, I assume?"

"Yes, just across the hall."

"Good…no wait a moment, have the maids roomed at the far end of the hall. Sayuri and Shizuka can be reassigned as bodyguards for Rin, since I'll be nearby should any trouble arise with Kagura."

"Oh, yes, the human child. Where is she, anyway? I suppose I ought to get to know the little thing a bit."

"Mother, I'd appreciate it if you make her feel welcome. There will be enough prejudice against her as it is. If you are kind to her, many of the others will follow your example. And please refrain from calling her 'thing'."

"Fine, fine. I think I'll go and welcome her now. The ceremony is all set up for tomorrow, by the way."

She walked away, and Kagura couldn't help but snicker as she watched the otherwise silent and motionless guards follow Michiko's hips with their eyes. Sesshoumaru looked torn between amusement and annoyance.

"Come along, Kagura, I'll show our wing."

The went to the right of the large front room they were in, and after a while entered a door, coming into a long, bright hallway, lit by windows in the roof. At the very end of the hallway was a small table with a huge vase full of gorgeous fresh flowers. Here there were two doors across from each other. Sesshoumaru slid the one on the right open and motioned for her to go in ahead of him.

"This is your room, Kagura."

The room was lovely. The walls were painted white, and three windows looked out over one of the gardens, letting in bright sunlight. Elaborate tapestries, many depicting InuYoukai, hung about on the walls. She smiled when she noticed that there were also several fans pinned to the wall, in a variety of different colors and patterns. There was a wardrobe in one corner, a dressing table at its side, with a large mirror. The futon, quite high off the ground on its frame, was along the wall with the windows, and Kagura had a feeling she would delight in taking afternoon naps with the sun shining in on her. It was one of the largest futons she'd even seen, she noted, and it suddenly occurred to her that this was likely where her children would be born. The idea brought a smile.

To the left was a curtained doorway, she went through it and found a sort of sitting room, with comfortable cushions to sit on, a fire pit in the center, and more big, bright windows. Very pleased with the whole thing, she turned back and found Sesshoumaru watching her with undisguised longing.

"Don't get too attached to this room, Kagura. After tonight, I believe I will lock you away in my chambers and not let you go until I've spent at least a century making love to you."

She laughed softly, but moved into his arms, pleased to finally be free of the eyes of servants, so that she could touch him.

"What exactly do the mating ceremonies involve, Sesshoumaru?"

"It is not all that much different from a human wedding. We simply bind ourselves together publicly with words and vows. It's just a way of acknowledging each other as mates in the eyes of others. A formality, not really much more than that. Mother, being the only parent that either of us has left, will announce that she accepts you as her son's mate. Then I will announce you as my mate. You don't really have to do much, except answer yes when Mother asks if you are committed to being my mate. It's a very short ceremony…then Mother gets to pour sake over our heads, which I can assure you she will take great pleasure in doing. Then you'll be whisked away and bathed by the maids while I try to get the sake out of my hair."

The wry tone of his voice made her laugh, and she kissed him briefly.

"After that, you'll be brought back here to my chambers and we'll have the entire house to ourselves for a night. The servants will go back to their homes…you probably noticed the villages as we arrived…and Mother, Rin, Jaken, Hachiro, and the maids will all stay the night in the guest house across the courtyard. Once they're gone, that's when the good part begins."

He kissed her, but she could sense he was holding back. After so long, and so much tension, and desire, and resisting…tomorrow she would be his in every way. There was no cause to allow themselves to be tempted unduly, not when they were this close to the finish line. When he pulled away, he gave her one of his rare, bright smiles: even though he'd smiled much, much more since her return, it was still rare to see his whole face light up like it was now. She loved how he looked when he was this happy. And she knew her own face echoed the sentiment.

Tomorrow, all their dreams would come true.

**Names:**

**Female:**

**Atsuko: "Kind child" or "Warm child"**

**Katsumi: "Victorious beauty" **

**Isamu: "Vigorous, Robust, Energetic" **

**Arisu: "Noble sort"**

**Shinju: "Pearl" **

**Takara: "Treasure"**

**Sayuri: "Lily"**

**Shizuka: "Quiet"**

**Michiko: "Beautiful, Wise" **

**Male:**

**Hachiro: "Eighth son" **


	19. Chapter 19

Michiko was sitting in the bathing pool with her legs drawn up, arms crossed on her knees, appearing bored, watching the maids undress Kagura; quite a feat considering the elaborate formal attire she'd been wearing along with a great deal of jewelry.

Kagura was intensely relieved that it was over; all the hurting, all the waiting, the ceremony... She was finally Sesshoumaru's mate. Indescribable joy filled her heart. Still, she was surprised at just how nervous she was about what was to come next. After all the wanting, all the longing, all the desire; why should she be nervous? And yet she was.

The maids had left her in just a thin shift, which she removed easily. She was made slightly uncomfortable by Michiko's gaze on her. The older woman spoke suddenly.

"Stop worrying. I can smell your nervousness. From what I can see, you have no cause to worry. Sesshoumaru's just a man, at least when it comes to this. He'll love your body. Believe me, girl, I know what men want, and you've got it."

At least somewhat reassured by her mate-mother's slightly odd comfort, Kagura slipped into the bath herself. It was, as far as she could tell, either a natural hot spring or it was heated by magic, for she saw no other way the water might be warmed. The bath itself was almost as big as a room. Kagura took the mildly rose-scented soap the maid handed her and set to work washing the sake scent out of her hair.

Rin joined them soon. Atsuko joined Arisu, Shinju, and Takara kneeling in a tidy line against one wall. Michiko actually seemed fond of Rin, making jokes with her and teasing her about one of the servant boys who had seemed taken with her. Kagura did not join in their laughter; she was lost in thought.

For all her normal confidence, and despite the fact that she had been created with a somewhat flirtatious, seductive manner, Kagura found herself genuinely scared of what was to happen between her and Sesshoumaru this night. It wasn't for lack of desire, certainly. Her thoughts for the last few months had been, it seemed, only about Sesshoumaru and/or the idea of making love with Sesshoumaru. Still…she was a virgin. Granted it was fairly likely that with all of her fighting and activity, especially in her first life, she might no longer bear the barrier which would mark her as one. But it was not pain which she feared anyway. Despite Michiko's words, she feared she wasn't good enough for her mate. He had been with women before, even if it wasn't often, and those women had probably been with others before…they would be skilled and knowledgeable. She had lots of knowledge in her head, but no practice. What if she didn't pleasure him?

"You're still worrying aren't you? Inexperience, hmm? Would you like some tips?"

Kagura thought one of her eyebrows might have just twitched.

"No! I mean…no thank you, that might be sorta…awkward…getting tips from his mother, you know…"

Michiko laughed. Rin seemed to be ignoring them completely now, washing her hair. After a time of silence, Michiko rose out of the bath and began dressing.

"Come along Kagura, that's enough stalling, we've been in here for an hour."

Kagura rose hesitantly, more nervous than ever. The maids offered her towels and eventually helped her into a clean, sheer, white shift. She was appalled when she realized they weren't going to dress her any further. Instead they draped a dark red cape over her and tied it closed at the throat, pulling the oversized hood so far over her head that she had to look down at her feet to see where she was going. They led her through the house, down the hall where her room was, and left her outside Sesshoumaru's door. Rin hugged her comfortingly, and Michiko gave her a wink and a mischievous smile. Then she was alone in the hall, knowing her mate waited on the other side of the door.

She tapped on the doorframe with much more timidity than was usual for her.

"Come in, Kagura."

She entered, nervous beyond belief and puzzled by it. This was Sesshoumaru. The man she loved; had loved for nearly the entirety of both her lives. The man who loved her. What in heaven's name was she afraid of? Slowly, she slid the door away and entered.

……..

Sesshoumaru was looking out over the ocean, but as soon as he heard her enter he turned and walked towards her without hesitation, pushing back her hood and smiling at her.

"You're nervous, aren't you?"

She nodded, her lovely scarlet eyes flitting back and forth, avoiding his. He chuckled quietly, circling around her to run his fingers through soft waves of damp raven hair. Behind her, he pulled her close and rested his chin on her shoulder, breathing in the scent he loved most in the world. He kissed the tip of a pointed ear before whispering softly.

"There is nothing to fear, Kagura. Nothing will happen here that you do not invite or desire."

He felt a shudder move through her as his breath crossed her ear, and smiled somewhat smugly. He spoke the truth; if she did not wish to consummate their relationship this night, he would never even consider pressuring her. Still, he had little doubt that he would have her before the night ended. Probably more than once. He smirked at the thought.

He left her and moved back to the window.

"Come and see the sunset, Kagura. It's rather impressive tonight."

She approached him, slightly more relaxed now. She'd been holding her long cloak closed tightly, now she let go and it spread open slightly as she moved, allowing him to admire her form beneath the thin shift she wore. Their arms brushed as she moved to stand next to him. She gasped; delight writing itself over her lovely features.

"It's beautiful!"

He smiled, pleased by her enthusiasm.

The sunset over the water was incredible. He watched the orange light blend into her red eyes and thought that even the ocean and the sun could not compare to her beauty. He watched her as she watched the sun sink. He wasn't entirely sure how long they stood there in silence, but eventually the most impressive part of the sunset had passed, and he moved away, sitting cross legged on his futon and motioning for her to join him. Instantly he saw her tense again.

Still, despite her obvious anxiety, she moved to join him. She stood in front of him, and he uncrossed his legs and moved to the edge of the bed, touching two clawed fingers under her chin.

"Where has my brave, passionate, impudent sorceress gone? She seems to have been replaced by a blushing bride."

She smiled slightly at his teasing. Suddenly he saw mischief in her eyes. He watched her fingers touch the strings holding her cloak on, and smiled as she unfastened them. She let it drop and joined him on the futon, while he watched her with hungry eyes. The thin material that now covered her left very little to the imagination; and it would appear that his imagination had done her injustice. She looked even more perfect than he had thought she would be.

Something suddenly occurred to him, and he moved closer to her, resting one hand on her waist and the other against the side of her face.

"Kagura, do you still have Naraku's mark?"

"Huh? Oh, the spider? Actually, oddly enough, yes. But it's really small now. Like this." She made a circle with her thumb and forefinger. "And it's just down on the small of my back now, instead of being so huge and obvious. I hardly mind it now that Naraku's gone. It's more like having Youkai markings, now, instead of it being a brand to mark me a slave. Does it…will it…annoy you?"

"No. It is a reminder of your past. Even though that past was an awful time for you, it is a part of your life nonetheless. It will serve as a reminder to me of my failure to protect you; of how I chose to remain in stubbornness and pride, and let you die. I will always protect you now, Kagura. As long as I live and am able."

For a moment he thought she might cry, but then suddenly brightness and mischief glinted in those beautiful, unique eyes, and in the next moment her scent and taste filled his senses as she kissed him. He smiled against her mouth. It was going to be a long, pleasurable night.


	20. Chapter 20

Kagura woke alone in the morning; sore, stiff, and happier than she'd ever been in either of her short lives. She curled herself into silk sheets and basked in the warmth of the morning sun. She knew her mate was nearby, she could sense his presence. Finally she opened one eye and grinned. Sesshoumaru was wearing his hakama and upper clothing, but the top had been left loose and open, giving her a rather enjoyable view of his perfectly formed upper body. He was sitting on a sort of bench situated beneath one of the windows, facing her, his legs stretched along the length of the bench, one knee drawn slightly up, and his back resting against the wall behind him. The sunlight made his hair shimmer. He was beautiful, she thought, utterly perfect.

"Mornin' Sessh."

He quirked a thin brow at her, obviously not surprised that she was awake.

"Sessh? Only you, mate, may have the honor of mutilating my name in such a way and remaining alive."

She smiled and stretched, hands above her head, arching her back with an almost feline grace, not minding how much of her bare body this revealed, and noting the way he watched her, like a predator eyeing its prey. The thought made her smile.

"Are you alright, Kagura? Did I harm you?"

She grinned.

"No, I'm fine. A little sore here and there, but that's to be expected." She eyed a rather suspicious bruise on her shoulder. "Did you bite me?"

He winced.

"Apologies. I wasn't thinking just then."

"No problem. I don't remember it hurting then…don't even remember it happening, actually. It just aches a little now."

He moved to sit on the bed beside her.

"Here, let me see." He winced again as he took in the faint bruise. "I'm sorry, Kagura, I ought to have been more in control."

She shook her head vehemently.

"No. I didn't _want _you to be in control. I'd rather have a bruise or two than share my body with a block of ice."

He smiled at that, and shifted so that he could lick at the bruise. She shuddered. Suddenly she was very certain that they would not be leaving this room for a good while yet.

……..

Michiko was standing on the long porch, holding Rin's small dog, which had accompanied them from Kaede's village to the palace, and was staring at it much as Sesshoumaru did; seeming torn between being amused and being appalled. Kagura walked out onto the porch, freshly bathed and dressed now as the lady of the manor, her clothing incredibly elaborate and rich. She felt smothered and restricted by all the layers, but forced herself to accept that this minor inconvenience was a small price to pay for the joy that filled her heart.

Rin ran over, drawing a few mildly shocked or annoyed glances from varied demonic eyes at her lack of dignity. She smiled brightly at Kagura.

"Do I have to call you by a title now, Kagura?"

"I'm actually not entirely sure, Rin. I haven't a clue how this all works. We'll just hope Sesshoumaru-sama teaches us both, okay?"

Rin nodded. Michiko approached them, dressed today in her fur and regal robes, looking cold and collected and not at all the amusing eccentric who Kagura knew her to be. She handed the puppy to Rin and took her new daughter-in-law's hands, smiling at her.

"Good luck. You'll be good for Sesshoumaru, I know it. I must leave now. I've been here quite a while and my own palace needs tending to. Make sure to let me know when I have a grandchild on the way."

"We will. Thank you for all your help and for welcoming me into your family so kindly."

"Of course. And thank you, girl, for making my son happy. He deserves to be happy, after all this time."

Sesshoumaru came out on the porch then, and he and his mother simply nodded to each other wordlessly, yet Kagura noted affection in both sets of eyes. Then, Michiko was gone in an orb of light.

Kagura moved back into the house, shooting her mate a seductive look over one shoulder. He followed her. Takara, who was accompanying Kagura, gave a quiet groan and whispered to Kagura.

"But Milady, we just got you dressed!"

Sesshoumaru was instantly ready to kill, but Kagura laughed melodiously, so he forced himself to relax. Still he gave Takara a sharp glare and sent her away when they reached the door to their wing. Kagura was still snickering quietly as, within their chambers once again, he began to expertly undo all the maids' hard work.

………

Takara stood before her mirror, eyeing herself critically. She was beautiful. She was the daughter of a lord. She was intelligent and strong willed. Yet her father, instead of offering her to Sesshoumaru-sama, which had been her secret dream since childhood, had offered her to a fat minor lord. What was she supposed to do, other than insult him? She had seen perfection in golden eyes and silver hair; there was no way she would settle for that disgusting horse Youkai father had matched her to. Her punishment had been to be assigned as a maid in Sesshoumaru-sama's household. It was, she had thought, her great opportunity. If only he would spend more time at the palace, she would have found an opportunity to slip into his bed, to seduce him. She would have manipulated herself into being the lady of this keep.

Instead, he had brought home that crimson-eyed whore, the daughter of his enemy, and made her his lady. Worse, he had assigned Takara as Kagura's maid.

So in the darkness of her small room at the end of the hallway, her sharp hearing unable to block out the sounds of pleasure from down the corridor, Takara sulked and schemed, and determined that, one way or another, she would have the title and the riches of the House of the West.

………

Many leagues away, a man in black clothing, hooded, stood on a high hill looking towards the West. It was there that his goal lay.

It was there that he would find his inheritance.

**A/N: This is the last chapter of "Gold and Rubies". There will be a sequel, which will have more….I dunno, more plot? I hope. Though I seem unable to write anything with a good strong plot, and a villain, and such, but I may try. I'm thinking the sequel will be called either "Lunar Wind" or "Tales from the House of the West"…or maybe just "The House of the West". Tell me which ya'll like (or any suggestion you come up with)…I'm already going to work on the first chapter…I just wanted to end this here because I don't want it to be too long all in one story. **

**Thank ya'll for the many good reviews! **


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